While Devin Bush has drawn a lot of criticism from fans for how he performed during the team’s preseason opener, his coaches don’t agree with the criticism. Senior Defensive Assistant Brian Flores went on 93.7 The Fan and offered support for how Bush has performed.
“I think he’s in good shape. I think he does a real nice job in the meetings, he works to be prepared. He’s been in good position most of the time. Like any player or coach there have been some mistakes. He’s learned from them and is getting better every day,” Flores said. “I’m happy with where he is. We always want more, always want to make the play, make the splash play. For him, he’s making those unsung plays. He’s in the right gap. He’s helping other guys make plays, the ones that may not hit the stat sheet that people may want.”
Bush needs to play well this year. He’s expected to be the second starting inside linebacker, next to Myles Jack. He didn’t have any tackles in Saturday night’s game and he had some plays where he looked overmatched, but Flores is with him on a daily basis. If he thinks that’s he making the proper run fits and filling the right gaps more often than not, I’m going to take that as a good sign.
Bush had his fifth-year option declined this offseason, which means this might be his last year in Pittsburgh. Given his struggles last year and the team bringing in Myles Jack and rotating Bush with Robert Spillane, I’m inclined to think he’s done after this year. For a guy with so much promise, his Pittsburgh career hasn’t panned out as planned. It would be nice if he spent his likely last year with the team being a high-level contributor for a defense that should be a top-ten unit in the NFL.
Flores has been around the league for a while and is viewed as one of the best defensive minds in the league. He was a great addition to the staff, and I feel like his guidance could help Bush have a bounce-back season. While the early returns didn’t appear to be great, there’s always the chance that it was just an off game and Bush can bounce back to his pre-2021 form, back when his knee was fully healthy.
It would be a huge boon for Bush’s career and for the 2022 Steelers if that was the case. With Spillane, Mark Robinson and Marcus Allen, the team isn’t super deep at the inside linebacker position, so having Bush step up as at least an average starter next to Jack would be really nice for Pittsburgh. Only time will tell if that can happen.
