Bear Digest

Devin Bush Provides Bears with More Conventional Linebacker Skill Set

Losing Tremaine Edmunds' skill set doesn't necessarily need to be accounted for by the Bears as Devin Bush handles the position differently but effectively.
Gene Chamberlain|
Devin Bush returns an interception for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens last season.
Devin Bush returns an interception for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens last season. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

When the Bears were getting ready to play a terrible Cleveland defense last season, one named kept coming up during the week among coaches and even running backs and linemen when discussing the Browns.

It wasn't necessarily rookie Carson Schwesinger, although he was difficult to ignore. Instead, it was Devin Bush.

They were amazed at his playmaking ability on film, although they handled him well during the game as they lit up the Browns for a 31-3 rout.

Bush now will get to impress with the Bears defense.

The 27-year-old signed with the Bears for three years and $30 million per Adam Schefter as part of the team's revamped, faster and younger defense. Bush gives the Bears playmaking ability they might have lost with Tremaine Edmunds' departure, but also some aspects of play they didn't have with Edmunds.

Pro Football Focus graded Bush fourth among all linebackers and eighth against the run. He was fourth against the pass. All of this came with one of the worst teams in the league.

It was no fluke. A year earlier, he was ranked seventh among linebackers and eighth against the run. Bush had a sub-par start to his career after he left Michigan, but after leaving Pittsburg and getting over injuries, he found his niche in Cleveland's defense. What a place to find yourself.

The difference that the Bears get here compared to what they had in Edmunds is tackling, hitting, and explosiveness. They're getting a linebacker who has even more short-distance speed and plays more downhill, like linebackers traditionally play, than one who is rangy and drops back deeper or moves laterally.

After his first two seasons, Bush hasn't been over 6.7% in missed tackles. In those five seasons, including one in Seattle in 2023, Bush averaged 5% missed tackles. Edmunds missed 10.3% of his tackles in 2023, 8.3% in 2024 and lowered it to 5.9% last year.

What Bush doesn't have that they had in Edmunds is height. He's only 5-foot-11 and 235 pounds. Edmunds is 6-4, 251. Yet, Bush has passer ratings against better over the last three seasons than Edmunds had. Perhaps Bush makes up for his height in other ways.

One way he makes up for it is is overall speed. He ran a 4.43-second 40, which is almost as fast as some of their wide receivers. Edmunds had great speed, as well, but was at 4.54.

Bus had one less interception last year than Edmunds (4) but had a 64.2 passer rating against compared to Edmunds' respectable 77.7.

Because of his tackling ability and coverage skills but lack of height, it could be a situation where they decide he'll be the weakside and will put T.J. Edwards in the role of middle linebacker.

The other improvement with Bush, obviously, is cost. Edmunds had already cost the Bears $54 million against their cap and would have been in for close to $18 million again, if not cut entirely. Now Bush is a $10 million-a-year guy. Edmunds agreed to a three-year, $36 million deal with the Giants on Monday, still earning more than what the Bears are paying for Bush.

That describes a positive difference from Edmunds.Edmunds was a leader in the locker room and a source of positive energy. Whether Bush can do this remains to be seen. He had a strike against him early in 2025 when he was arrested on assault and harassment charges. However, he was found not guilty of the charges that were made when he reportedly grabbed his girlfiend's cellphone but broke it.

The not guilty verdict came down because it was ruled he hadn't caused harm to his girlfriend when he grabbed the phone.

Bush is now in a position where leadership is expected now and actually being anticipated.

If they get it, and the same type of production Bush had in a strong defense with a weak team, giving up Edmunds for cap purposes will come out as a net gain.

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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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