The AFC North’s teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, have been busy this offseason reshaping their rosters with players who previously spent time with their division rivals.
Geno Stone went from the Ravens to the Bengals.
The Steelers have actually double-dipped on former rivals this offseason. First, they made the blockbuster move to sign Patrick Queen away from the Ravens.
Then they added former Ravens safety DeShon Elliott to their roster.
Now the Cleveland Browns have gotten in on the action.
On March 14, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Browns were signing linebacker Devin Bush to a one-year deal.
Bush spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Steelers after they drafted him 10th overall in 2019.
A Disappointing Pick for the Steelers
The Steelers made a big investment in Bush back in 2019.
In order to move up to pick 10 in the draft, the Steelers traded away the draft’s 20th overall pick, the 52nd overall pick, and a third-rounder in the 2020 draft.
The investment didn’t pay off.
Things started out well enough for Bush. He made 109 tackles as a rookie with nine for a loss and also intercepted a pair of passes. His efforts earned him third place in the 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
That was unfortunately the peak for Bush.
In 2020, he only played in five games as a result of a torn ACL.
He returned in 2021 and was able to play in 14 games, but wasn’t nearly as productive as his rookie year. He made just 70 tackles and struggled against both the run and pass.
The Steelers ended up declining his fifth-year option on his rookie deal before the 2022 season.
He played better during the 2022 season, getting involved in 81 tackles, but it wasn’t enough to keep him in Pittsburgh.
He ended up leaving for the Seahawks after four disappointing seasons with the Steelers.
In Seattle Bush settled in as a backup during his first season, playing just 27% of snaps in the game where he appeared.
Now he’ll get a chance to see his former team twice in 2024, but they’ll be feeling pretty good about how they’ve replaced him.
How Steelers Have Moved On From Devin Bush
The Steelers got to work quickly to replace Bush after he left in free agency.
During the 2023 offseason, the Steelers signed Elandon Roberts to two-year deal, picked up Kwon Alexander for a year, and signed Cole Holcomb to a three-year contract.
The Roberts move worked out and he’ll be starting for the Steelers again in 2024, but both Alexander and Holcomb were hit by major injuries in 2023.
With Roberts set to remain one of the starting inside linebackers, the Steelers went looking for a partner for him during the 2024 offseason.
They found a really good one in Queen.
Queen is coming off of a season where he was named to the All-Pro Second Team after making 133 tackles.
His addition gives the Steelers a formidable front seven.
It took a little while for the Steelers to finally get their inside linebacker situation sorted after whiffing on the Bush pick, but they’re set up pretty well at the position now.
