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Ryan Poles Hit on a Bargain in Bears' Free Agency, and it's Winning Over Critics

Devin Bush's effective play at a relatively low cost to the Bears is being praised as one of the true bargains of this free agency period.
Gene Chamberlain|
Devin Bush wraps up J.K. Dobbins with a tackle. Bush's tackling has consistently been more effective than that of former Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
Devin Bush wraps up J.K. Dobbins with a tackle. Bush's tackling has consistently been more effective than that of former Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The primary task in free agency is to plug lineup holes within the constraints of NFL salary cap reality.

From that end, the efforts of Bears GM Ryan Poles are being lauded by at least one analytics source even while numerous fans who fail to understand the salary cap complain about how they didn't seriously pursue Maxx Crosby or another big-name edge rusher.

Poles came away with one of the real success stories of 2026 free agency when he signed Cleveland free agent linebacker Devin Bush for three years and $30 million. Poles not only found someone who could do what Tremaine Edmunds was supposed to do but who did it better over the last three seasons with other teams, and for around $7 million less per year.

It was even $2 million less per year than what the Giants paid for Edmunds after he'd been released by the Bears.

At least this is the way, Pro Football Focus' Mason Cameron sees it as he lists Poles' signing of Bush as one of the best five "value signings" of free agency. When you need to stop both the run and the pass and you find someone who has done it better than your own free agent linebacker who costs more, then why pay the steeper price?

There's no doubt Bush had strong seasons in 2024 and 2025 for Cleveland. His career seems to have actually taken off once he left Pittsburgh after four seasons.

"Bush, a former top-10 pick, revitalized his career over the past two seasons in Cleveland, culminating in the fourth-highest PFF overall grade (87.6) among linebackers this past season," Cameron wrote.

He pointed out Bush graded in the top 3% of linebackers for box  pass coverage and run defense the last two years.

Considering the Bears ranked 24th in completion percentage allowed in the short-middle area, and 30th in yards allowed per catch there (8.09) according to NFLGSIS, and that their run defense was 29th in yards allowed per rush, they needed someone providing sure tackling and pass coverage. Bush hasn't had more than 6.7% missed tackles since his second year with the Steelers in 2020. His passer rating against last year was a scant 64.7 according to Stathead.

"At just $10 million in average annual value, Bush's contract comes in at a bargain compared to other options on the linebacker market,"  Cameron wrote.

Is Bears Signing of Devin Bush Too Good to be True?

Nothing is ever perfect.

There is the potential in this scheme for Bush to flourish either at weakside or the middle--weakside because his speed is a huge asset (40 time 4.43 seconds) in attacking the ground game but it also lets him drop into coverage like he'd need in the middle to make up for a lack of height (5-foot-11).

From that end, it will be interesting to see how the Bears use  Bush. It hasn't really been spelled out whether they think he automatically replaces Edmunds on the weakside or would be in the middle while either T.J. Edwards or D'Marco Jackson plays weakside. Edwards has done both.

However, there is always the possibility Bush flourished most in Cleveland because of the overall strength of that defense and he's not going to enjoy this situation in Chicago. Not every defense has an edge rusher like Myles Garrett taking pressure off of the rest of the players.

The Browns were fourth overall and 14th in scoring defense last year despite being dragged down by their own offense, which ranked 30th and gave up the third-most turnovers.

Can Bush's ability become apparent in a new scheme and with Bears personnel that has been altered since they struggled so much last year?

If he does, then the bargain the Bears got with this signing could be even greater than Cameron imagined in his analysis.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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