Bush, 26, revived his career in Cleveland last season, earning a second straight one-year deal, this one worth $3.25 million, a league source told cleveland.com
Bush, who stepped into a starting role after Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah suffered a scary neck injury, started 10 games for the Browns and finished fourth on the team with 74 tackles. He also notched a sack and defended three passes.
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According to Pro Football Focus, Bush earned an 86.4 run defense grade, eighth among qualifying NFL linebackers. He also finished No. 8 overall with a 79.2 grade, a notch behind Owusu-Koramoah (80.6), a Pro Bowler. Bush was also tied for ninth in fewest-missed tackles percentage at 7.5.
It’s only fitting that Bush is getting his career back on track with the Browns. For starters, his father, Devin Bush Sr., played safety for the Browns in 2001-02 to cap an eight-year NFL career. Then in 2020, the younger Bush suffered a torn ACL in Week 6 against Cleveland, and it proved to be an enormous setback.
He returned in 2021 to start 14 games for the Steelers, recording two sacks, 70 tackles and defended four passes. But the Steelers declined his fifth-year option in May of 2022, and he became a free agent after the season. That year, he started 14 of his 17 games, notching 81 tackles and defending two passes.
Signing a one-year deal with the Seahawks in 2023 worth $3.5 million instead of the blockbuster extension a No. 10 overall pick usually earns, Bush started only three of his 13 games, playing primarily on special teams and as a backup linebacker.
The Browns got Bush at the bargain-basement price of $1.5 million last season, hoping he’d contribute in a big way on special teams and work his way into the linebacker rotation. But stepping in for the elite Owusu-Koramoah, Bush played with the hustle and moxie of a first-round pick.
Even as the Browns' season went down the tubes, Bush played hard and put on a clinic in finishing strong. In four of his last five games, he earned PFF starting-caliber grades of 75.5 or higher.
The emergence of Bush helped ease the crushing loss for the season of Owusu-Koramoah, and might have the same impact this season. The Browns don’t know yet if Owusu-Koramoah will be able to play this season, and it’s difficult to predict if he’ll be able to resume his NFL career.
Bush (5-11, 234) was also the second former first-round defender the Browns wrapped up on Tuesday. They also agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth 4.75 million with Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, a former first-round pick of the Bucs. Like Bush, Tryon-Shoyinka will have a chance to revive his career here and flash some of his first-round pedigree.
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