PITTSBURGH (93.7 the Fan) Would it be premature to label Steelers linebacker Devin Bush a bust? While many of you are probably nodding yes, that harsh description may be unfair. Even though he is his third year, Bush still hasn't played two full seasons of pro football seeing as he was injured in the fifth game of 2020.
So how about underachiever? That's better since the Steelers gave up significant draft capital to take Bush with the 10th overall pick in 2019 and he has yet to live up to that promise. But whether you want to call him an underachiever or an outright bust, we do know what Devin Bush is not – at least not right now. He is not an every down linebacker.
He was, at times, during his rookie season then he did play 100% of the defensive snaps the first four games of 2020 before blowing out his knee in week 5. That's barely over a year ago so it's understandable if Bush still hasn't regained his form. It also explains why the team picked up Joe Schobert during training camp.
But if Bush is going to be the player the Steelers moved up to draft at number 10 he needs to make an impact. He says his knee is no longer a problem. "I don't think too much about my injury as of now," Bush says. "I feel good, my body feels good, my knee feels good so I'm just going out there and competing."
Defensive Coordinator Keith Butler won't make excuses for Bush but thinks the knee has to be a factor. "When you've been hurt and coming back from an injury sometimes it's a little bit harder than you think; it just don't automatically happen in the National Football League," he says. "The competition is too intense just to miss a long time and expect to be playing the same way that you were before you got hurt; it's not going to be that way. You gotta keep working at it and he is, he's continuing to work at it and I think he'll get better and play better."
That's physical. It was, however, somewhat alarming a couple of weeks ago after Bush had come off the field in the dime defense, replaced by not Schobert but Robert Spillane who is known as the run-stopping ILB. Butler indicated that Spillane "does some things better."
So is Bush still an every down linebacker? "I think so," he insists. "As of right now, we just doing things differently, showing some different things. As long as we're winning that takes care of everything."
The Steelers have won two games in a row to get back to .500 with a pivotal game in Cleveland Sunday afternoon. After the Seahawks ran all over the defense in the second half, expect the Browns to try to do the same which means Bush will be on the hot seat – or maybe the sidelines in favor of Spillane.
"I think all of us would say, including (Bush), that we'd all like to be better," Butler contends, pointing out that defense is an 11-man proposition. "Shoot, what are we in defense in the league, 13th or something like that? I don't like that I'd rather be down be in the 5's, but we're not right now. It's a continuing journey for all of us."
