Devin Bush Puts Steelers Offense on Notice

The Steelers will face a starting Devin Bush when they travel to Seattle for a crucial clash on Sunday. With Jordyn Brooks banged up with an ankle injury, Bush is in line for his first true start as a Seahawk at linebacker, and it comes against the team that drafted him.

But Bush has a leg up, having played against the Steelers in practice for so many years. He knows what they want to do, and he thinks he can use it to his advantage when he takes the field on Sunday.

“That’s just the type of style they bring anywhere they go,” Bush said in an interview. “They got those two backs for a reason, and obviously they don’t have Pickett back there, so what else would you do? So, I mean, yeah, they’re gonna bring it. They’re gonna run the ball. That helps me out because I used to be in 9-on-7 with those guys for four years. So, I got a feel for and an eye on what to look for, what to see, how they move, who they want to run with, run behind, situations, stuff like that.”

It’s a classic revenge game storyline. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is leaning into that message with Bush, who he hopes can use that to step up in a massive spot for the Seahawks. With that, Carroll is giving him all the encouragement he needs to help stun his former team.

“He has a great chance to play a lot this week, and I know he’ll be fired up for that,” Carroll said. “There’s always something to that. Last week, Mario Edwards had a chance to go back against his old club. And there’s something to that that just kind of juices guys up. And I totally respect that, and I’m honoring it because it’s meaningful. It means something.”

Bush, 25, was the Steelers’ first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft when the team traded up with the Denver Broncos to select him out of Michigan with the No. 10 overall selection. He never lived up to the billing of that draft pick in four seasons in Pittsburgh. Bush started 15 games in a promising rookie season in 2019, but he never recovered his form after an ACL injury caused him to miss most of the 2020 season. Tight end Pat Freiermuth is looking forward to going up against him.

“Yeah, D Bush is a great guy and I’m excited to see him and compete against him,” Freiermuth said. “The stakes are high in a game like this, and to have the competitive feel with a guy like that, it’s going to be a great time out there.”

Now, the team will have a chance to go at Bush for the first time since his departure. He is going to be motivated to make plays against the Steelers, especially when he can essentially knock them out of the playoffs.