Devin Bush is back in the AFC North but not with the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Bush is signing a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns.
We had written this morning Bush was in Cleveland for a visit. Now, he’s officially a Brown.
Pittsburgh made the aggressive move to trade up for Bush in the 2019 NFL Draft, climbing from No. 2o to No. 10 to get him. For then-GM Kevin Colbert, it was only the third time he moved up in the first round of the draft following trades to acquire S Troy Polamalu and WR Santonio Holmes. Billed as an athletic, sideline-to-sideline player with great bloodlines, Bush was counted on to replace Ryan Shazier. Instead, Bush became one of the largest Steelers busts of the 20 years.
Five games into his sophomore season, Bush tore his ACL against, funny enough, the Browns. Missing the rest of the year, he worked hard to get healthy for the start of the 2021 season. But his play nosedived, Bush struggling to get off blocks in the running game, looking hesitant, and his speed never translated to an ability to cover. Bush saw his playing time reduced by the end of the 2022 season and with his fifth-year option declined, left after his rookie deal expired.
He signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks last March. A backup, he appeared in 13 games, recording 37 tackles. He started against the Steelers in Week 17, recording a whopping 18 tackles, but the Steelers ran for over 200 yards in a victory. On tape, Bush’s play didn’t match the gaudy stat line.
Bush signs with the team his father, Devin Bush Sr., played for at the end his career. A safety, the elder Bush played for the Browns in the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Now, his namesake will try to continue his career with the Cleveland. And it’ll be one of many storylines next season when the Steelers take on the Browns twice in a competitive AFC North race.
