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Seahawks Film Breakdown: Where Does LB Devin Bush Fit in Seattle's Defense?

Following three tough years marred by injuries and up and down play in Pittsburgh, the Seattle Seahawks decided to roll the dice on former top-10 pick Devin Bush. What does he bring to the table and how can his new team maximize his abilities?

After the Pittsburgh Steelers traded three draft choices to move up to No. 10 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft to select athletic linebacker Devin Bush, the decision initially looked poised to pay dividends for the franchise.

Coming out of Michigan, Bush put on an electrifying performance at the 2019 NFL combine, running a blazing 4.43 40-yard dash and a sub-7.00 3-cone drill along with a 40 1/2-inch vertical jump, displaying a rare blend of speed, quickness, and explosiveness for a 234-pound linebacker. Those natural tools helped him find immediate success, as he earned a Week 1 starting job in Pittsburgh's 3-4 defense.

Thriving right away, Bush impressed throughout his rookie season, flying all over the field to produce 109 combined tackles, two interceptions, four fumble recoveries, and a defensive touchdown. For his efforts, he finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year balloting, suggesting he would soon take a superstar turn in the Steel City.

Unfortunately for the Steelers, however, that leap to stardom never materialized. Just five games into his sophomore season, he tore his ACL and underwent reconstructive knee surgery, landing season-ending on injured reserve.

Bush recovered in time to start Pittsburgh's season opener the following September, but whether it was due to lack of confidence in his knee or the injury sapping him of his elite athleticism, he has looked like a shell of his former self the past two seasons. After losing his starting job late last season, the writing was on the wall that he wouldn't get a second contract with the team that drafted him.

Taking a free agent flier on him with a one-year contract to help offset a possible length absence by injured starter Jordyn Brooks, the Seattle Seahawks are banking on that version of Bush will re-emerge after injuries and inconsistent play derailed his once promising career in Pittsburgh.

What may Bush provide Seattle's defense on a "prove it" deal? And where does he fit in coordinator Clint Hurtt's hybrid 3-4 scheme?

Formerly an elite athlete for the position, Bush doesn't move quite as well as he did before injuring his knee. Some of that may be more mental than physical at this stage, as his top-tier speed has resurfaced occasionally pursuing ballcarriers when he trusts his keys and doesn't let overthinking things bog him down, but he hasn't played at that speed with any level of consistency over the past two years.

Showing he's still more than capable of hunting down backs against the Buccaneers in a Week 6 win last season, Bush quickly read sweep, letting the frontside guard and center take him to the play after swinging out of their stance pulling outside. Slipping behind the center after sprinting across the field, he corralled Leonard Fournette at the line of scrimmage for a minimal one-yard gain.

When kept clean by the defensive line, Bush has more than enough juice to get downhill and zero in on running backs in quick fashion. Though he's not a thumper and often allows runners to fall forward after he wraps them up, he's a reliable tackler who knows how to finish when he gets his arms around opponents, as evidenced by Pro Football Focus charging him with just three missed tackles last season.

Where Bush gets himself into trouble, however, is when linemen can climb to the second level and get hands on him. Weighing under 240 pounds, he lacks the size to physically hold up at the point of attack and once blockers get locked onto him, he struggles to track the football while attempting to disengage.

The end result? Far too often, Bush compounded errors by not only struggling to shed blocks, but failing to keep tabs on ball carriers when he had an opportunity to still make a stop.

Against the Ravens in Week 14, one play after getting sealed by a block on a long run by J.K. Dobbins, Bush initially did a good job reading keys and sifting through traffic, positioning himself to potentially make a stop short of the end zone. But fullback Patrick Ricard stuck to him like glue once he sized him up as a lead blocker and the linebacker lost track of Dobbins, who dove right past him for six points.

To succeed with his new team, the Seahawks will need to build a quality defensive line that attracts and handles double teams on a regular basis, allowing Bush to play free and utilize his athleticism, which remains a strength for him when he's playing with confidence and conviction. If he's constantly having to take on guards and tackles at the next level, while he doesn't play with fear and tries to scrap with blockers, that's not a recipe for him to excel.

As for the passing game, Bush's skill set and talents also present a mixed bag. In coverage, Pittsburgh often subbed him out in nickel and dime packages, opting to plug another defensive back into the lineup in his place. This suggests concerns with him taking deep zone drops or handling man responsibilities covering quicker receivers in space, something he struggled to do even before his knee injury allowing five touchdowns as a rookie.

Playing in the NFC West with teams like the Rams and 49ers who love running intermediate crossing routes and picking on linebackers, that could be a cause for concern if the Seahawks are counting on him to be an every down player.

But when tasked with covering running backs, tight ends, and bigger bodied slot receivers, Bush generally has done a decent job handling those duties and has enough speed and recovery ability to stay in the hip pocket, creating opportunities for pass breakups. Even in a down year overall in 2021, he swatted away four passes in coverage while yielding just one touchdown.

In a primetime game against the Colts last season, with the Steelers running Cover 1 and Bush dropping into the underneath hole, he picked up receiver Michael Pittman after he motioned inside to the numbers pre-snap. Identifying the crosser, the linebacker stayed stride for stride with the wideout, undercutting the route to get a hand on Matt Ryan's pass for a key pass breakup. 

Aside from a couple of long 20-plus yard receptions where he gave up yardage after the catch, Bush didn't surrender many big plays in coverage last season. Diving deeper into the tape, he was able to consistently carry athletic tight ends down the seam and stick to them on shallow crossers while also picking up backs out of the backfield without issues.

Additionally, similar to the player he likely will replace in Cody Barton, Bush has been an effective blitzer throughout his NFL career. In 2022, he posted a 25 percent quarterback pressure rate with seven pressures on 27 blitz attempts. While his pressure rate was slightly lower, he was even better at getting home in 2021, producing seven pressures and two sacks on 35 blitz attempts.

Looking at the big picture, Bush will only turn 25 years old in July and in some regards, the 2022 season provided promising, albeit inconsistent, steps forward for the young linebacker. With a different coaching staff working with him in Seattle and a needed change of scenery after things grew stale in Pittsburgh, it's certainly possible he could still turn his career around as a viable long-term starter replacing or playing alongside Brooks.

With that said, given Bush's struggles with durability and potential limitations as an every down linebacker, the Seahawks would be taking a significant gamble going into next season without competition to push him. Moving forward this offseason, signing another veteran and using one of their 10 draft picks at the position to bolster depth would be a smart insurance move for the franchise in case he doesn't pan out.


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