Plenty of ex-Pittsburgh Steelers have found success elsewhere this year. Kevin Dotson in Los Angeles, Ahkello Witherspoon also in Los Angeles with the Rams, Robert Spillane in Las Vegas. It’s hard to tell if the trend is former Steelers or the West Coast.
For current Seattle Seahawks and ex-Steeler LB Devin Bush, he’s excited to face his former team. At least, according to his head coach. With starting LB Jordyn Brooks injured and looking unlikely to play, Bush is expected to step into the starting lineup. During his Wednesday press conference, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll discussed Bush playing against Pittsburgh this weekend.
“He’s got a great chance to play a lot this week, and, and I know he’ll be fired up for that,” Carroll said via the team’s YouTube channel. “There’s always something to that. Last week, [defensive end Mario Edwards Jr.] had his chance to go back against his old club. And there’s something to that that just kind of juices guys up. And I totally respect that, and I like honoring that because it’s meaningful. It means something.”
Once viewed as the Steelers’ linebacker of the future and Ryan Shazier’s replacement, Bush became anything but. A 2020 torn ACL did him no favors but his time with Pittsburgh was remembered by poor run defense, a lack of impact plays, and sparring with fans on Twitter. With his fifth-year option declined and his rookie deal expiring after the 2022 season, Bush became a free agent and inked a one-year deal with the Seahawks in mid-March.
So far, Bush has spent most of the season as a backup and special teamer, recording only 13 tackles. But with Brooks injured early in last week’s game against the Tennessee Titans, Bush took over and finished with six tackles, including one for a loss. As Carroll noted, there’s a little extra motivation to stick it to your former team, especially given all the criticism Bush was met with in Pittsburgh. Last week, Edwards, who played for the Titans last season, picked up a sack in the Seahawks’ win. Bush will look to match that kind of impact.
Carroll also understands players can’t be consumed by the storyline. At the end of the day, playing sound football is bigger than pressing and trying to make one big play against your old team.
“The fact that he’s playing against his old team, and he gets drafted by him and all that kinda stuff. As well as, game plan and prepping and all that, there’s a lot going on. This is an important week for him to be right down the middle and really keep his head down and get his work done so that he can prepare well. Because what he wants to do is he wants to help his team play well. And so he’s gotta be really ready to do that. And there is reason to be distracted.”
While it’s personally a key game for Bush, it’s an even more important one for Seattle. Sitting at 8-7 and holding the NFC’s seventh seed, a win would go a long way toward locking up a playoff spot. A loss and the Seahawks’ odds of advancing become less than a coin flip. They need Bush not to be ex-Steelers linebacker but current Seahawks linebacker, do his job, and help them win.
