Meet new Browns linebacker: Devin Bush, Jr.

The linebacker room will look much different this year

DC Jim Schwartz values the linebacker position. He has specific actions for each whether he is playing a standard 4-3 or the occasional 4-2-5. And the Cleveland Browns had some great talent manning the backer position last year.

After the season, the Browns had five linebackers on their free-agent list. Yikes.

RELATED: BROWNS FREE AGENTS

Anthony Walker was the starting middle linebacker for the past three years. He was signed away from the Indianapolis Colts and was signed three different seasons all on one-year contracts. Walker was also injured all three years with a hamstring injury, torn quad, and then last year a knee issue.

It was thought the franchise would not bring him back because he misses too many games each year. In free agency, that question was answered when he inked a deal with the Miami Dolphins.

Sione Takitaki was another backer who had been retained annually on one-year deals. He was expected to be re-signed before the free agency period began, or at the very least early in free agency. He was signed on the first day, just not with Cleveland as he took a deal from the New England Patriots instead.

That meant two of three starting linebackers were now employed elsewhere. Only Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is left on the roster.

Other LBs remaining under contract include Tony Fields, Mohamoud Diabate, and Charlie Thomas. Now what?

Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images

The remainder of the free-agent linebackers include Jacob Phillips and two special teams gurus Jordan Kunaszyk and Matthew Adams. Phillips is another player who is hurt every year and has played in only 20 games with just eight starts. This means all three are available to be re-signed, but what value does each have as far as the possibility of becoming a starting linebacker in this league?

Solution #1: GM Andrew Berry signed MLB Jordan Hicks from the Minnesota Vikings to a two-year deal.

Solution #2: Berry inked OLB Devin Bush to a one-year deal.

Bush (5’-11”, 234 pounds) is a former first-round draft pick. Cleveland is now his third team. Does he still have high-round abilities? What can he bring to the Browns? Is he starter material, or was he brought into the fold as solely a backup?

Beginnings

Devin Bush is actually Devin Bush, Jr. His father Devin Bush, Sr. also played in the NFL as a cornerback or safety for eight years and was a member of the Browns during his final two years.

To get to know Devin Bush, Jr., you have to get to know his father. He won a Super Bowl ring while playing with the St. Louis Rams and the “Greatest Show on Turf.” He also was part of a National Champion while playing for Florida State. He retired from the NFL in 2002 after spending his final two years with Cleveland. Three years later, he began coaching little league football – and his son.

Junior was just six years old when he was signed up for flag football. His coach asked Senior to help out, and the following season, he said yes. As Junior got older, Senior continued to be his coach including being on the staff at Charles Flanagan High School just north of Miami in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

After one year as defensive coordinator, Senior became the head coach at Flanagan in Junior’s sophomore season. In Junior’s senior season, Flanagan went 12-2-0 and then won the Florida Class-8A football state championship.

Junior was rated a four-star recruit playing both defensive end and linebacker during his high school career. You name a high-profile program, and Junior received an offer from them.

Ready? In alphabetical order: Akron, Alabama, Auburn, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisville, Marshall, Massachusetts, Miami, Michigan, Northern Illinois, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Carolina, South Florida, Temple, Texas, Troy, UAB, UCF, UCLA, and West Virginia.

In 2019, Flanagan High School retired Junior’s #11 jersey.

RELATED: FLANAGAN HIGH SCHOOL RETIRES DEVIN BUSH, JR. JERSEY

Senior played for Florida State and won a national championship. A lot was written about the father’s alma mater having the inside track for Junior’s services. Oddly enough, despite having five official visits available, Junior only visited Auburn and Michigan and chose the latter.

When Junior committed to Michigan, Senior was hired to join the Wolverines’ coaching staff as a defensive analyst to fill an open position where he was allowed to communicate over the phone or via social media with recruits, break down film, and analyze and provide input to the defense. The two became a perfect marriage with Michigan.

Senior had a goal of becoming a defensive coordinator at a major college one day. Junior’s goals included playing in the NFL like his father.

As a freshman, Junior played in seven games with minimal stats and lots of special teams snaps. The following season, he became the starter at middle linebacker. As the season rolled along, The Detroit Free Press coined Junior “a one-man wrecking crew.” He had 95 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, one interception, seven pass defenses, 10 tackles for loss, and 13 starts.

He was named First Team All-Big 10 and Second Team All-American.

As a junior athlete, Junior did not have the numbers he did before, but was still very productive and was seen as a menace to opposing offenses. He ended the year with 66 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, and four pass defenses, with 12 starts.

Junior was named First Team All-Big 10, Consensus All-American, named the Big-10 Linebacker of the Year, and was elected the Big-10 Defensive Player of the Year.

With nothing else to prove, Junior decided to forego his final season at Michigan and enter the NFL draft.

Today, Senior is the Director of Football Recruiting at Ole Miss.

In his father’s footsteps

Senior was a first-round draft of the Atlanta Falcons at pick #26. Junior became the 10^th overall pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2019 NFL draft. The Steelers had the 20^th pick and traded up 10 spots in order to grab him. They envisioned a dynamic playmaker at inside linebacker for years to come.

He had followed along his father’s trail right into the NFL. He helped that he ran a 4.43 in the 40.

Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images

Junior signed a four-year $18.871 million deal including a $11,744,920 signing bonus, $18,871,765 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $4,717,941.

As a defensive-minded team, the Steelers put him to work right away as he played in the first two games but was inserted as the starter at outside linebacker in Week 3 in which he had 11 tackles plus recovered a fumble. He had nine tackles the next game and seven in his third game along with an interception. And off he went.

At season’s end, Junior had 109 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, one sack, four batted passes, and four fumble recoveries with one being a defensive touchdown, one forced fumble, and two QB hits. He was named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team.

In his second season, after playing the first five games, Junior tore his ACL in the second quarter in Week 6 at home in the 38-7 win over the Browns.

He injured his knee when he chased Cleveland RB D’Ernest Johnson across the field and dove to make the tackle but missed his target. As he landed, he moved awkwardly on his left knee, grabbing it as he fell and rolled out of bounds.

Junior then needed help getting off the sideline as he walked off delicately with his arms around Pittsburgh head athletic trainer John Norwig. After a short look in the sideline tent, he was taken to the training room and ruled out of the game.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

His injury proved to be a problem for the Steelers as they lacked depth at linebacker, plus Junior had played 74% of defensive snaps.

The knee injury ultimately changed his athletic career as it derailed all the progress he had made as a professional.

Junior told BehindTheSteelCurtain.com regarding his knee injury:

“I think my first year and my second year were definitely two good years. My third year (this season) was a year I’ve never experienced before, especially coming back from an injury like that. It was my first time going through an injury like that, first time getting surgery, first time doing rehab and first time being away from the game for a full year. So, it definitely was a learning experience for me.”

For the next three seasons, Pro Football Focus repeatedly graded Junior as the worst defender on the Steelers on more than one occasion. Pittsburgh fans wanted to know what his issue was. Was the knee not completely healed? Were there now limitations to his athletic ability? Was it now a mental issue? What needed to be changed with his play?

The years after his knee injury weren’t bad, just not at the elite level Steelers fans were expecting with some reduced speed. He had 70 and 81 total tackles in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Early in the season after returning to the field after healing from his injured knee, it seemed to be a learning process for him and if nothing else to get his mind back in football mode. Towards the middle of the season, he was going through some more mental issues of just being out there and knowing the team relied upon him to make plays.

Eventually, the Steelers gave up on his potential. They declined the fifth-year option on his contract which would make him a free agent after the 2022 season in which he had 14 starts.

Photo by Terry Pierson/The Press-Enterprise via Getty Images

Junior became available in the free agency period. He had several suitors, one of which was the Seattle Seahawks which had some concerns with their linebacker position. He signed with the Seahawks on a one-year deal for $3.5 million including a $1.25 million signing bonus, and $2.99 million guaranteed. He also had a $30,000 per game active bonus.

Seattle played a 3-4 which meant Junior had two opportunities to start. However, All-World Bobby Wagner manned one spot and Jordyn Brooks secured the other. Brooks was known as being one of the league’s top tacklers every season. Junior was only able to start three games but played in 13 as he was a healthy scratch in four games. He had just 250 defensive snaps which was 21.03% of plays. This in itself means backup. His greatest contribution was on 29.87% of special teams.

Junior did not get the chance to kickstart his career as he had hoped with the Seahawks. The once-promising linebacker had been good against the run and had success in coverage against tight ends. And basically, he was signed as insurance because Brooks had a knee injury of his own that he was coming back from. He had a 5.7% missed tackle rate.

Going into 2024, the linebacker corps should be Jordan Hicks in the middle with JOK and Tony Fields on the outside. Junior will be relied upon as a capable backup along with Thomas and Diabate.