Devin Bush might not have had the most spectacular game Thursday night. He got beat early in the game on a 34-yard catch by TE Zach Ertz. But the fact he was playing was a milestone in itself and a long time coming. It was his first game action since tearing his ACL last season against the Cleveland Browns. An important first step for a Steelers’ defense looking to get back one of its core members.
After the game, Mike Tomlin was asked about Bush’s performance.
“He got his feet wet,” he said in his post-game presser. “So that’s a great start. So we’ll continue to push forward. Today was a big day from that perspective. But I don’t want to make more out of it than what it is. Now, we just go on.”
Bush officially finished the day with two tackles, both solo, and both coming on the Eagles’ first drive. And both came on completions to Zach Ertz totaling 41 yards. Bush’s technique and nuance in coverage remains a work in progress — that’s evident in practice and during tonight’s game — and there’s obvious rust to knock off after missing so much time.
But to his credit, Bush’s rehab and recovery has seemed to gone remarkably well. He avoided PUP to start the season and was practicing right away, though the team smartly limited his reps and eased his way into action. Bush has responded well to his first serious football injury, aggressively rehabbing this offseason to allow himself to be ready for this summer.
There’s still work to do and tonight’s performance on its own probably wasn’t good enough. But as Tomlin said, it was an important first step. And a spring board to a strong and important Year Three for Bush, a chance to pick up where he left off in 2020.
