2022 make-or-break for Steelers LB Devin Bush

When the Pittsburgh Steelers made the trade to go up and get linebacker Devin Bush, the pressure for him to produce was immediate. Not only did the Steelers make a big trade to go up and get Bush but he was drafted to attempt to replace Ryan Shazier. Big shoes, for sure.

Fast forward three seasons and things haven’t gone according to plan. After a solid but not spectacular rookie campaign, Bush tore his ACL in Week Six of the 2020 season after a slow start. In five games, Bush played every defensive snap but only netted 26 total tackles.

But 2021 was to be his comeback. Or maybe not. Bush returned to start 14 games last season but was not his rookie self. We can debate the reasons why but the fairest assessment is the knee injury played a role as well as Bush’s lack of confidence in that knee.

This puts the Steelers in an awkward position for the upcoming season. The team must decide by May if they want to pick up Bush’s fifth-year option on his rookie contract. If so, it would pay Bush something between $10 and $11 million. There are no more excuses for Bush in this upcoming season and he needs to play like the No. 10 overall pick.

This feels like a huge ask of the Steelers given Bush’s history. What do you think? Case your vote and tell us if Bush will get his fifth-year option.