Mike Tomlin: Devin Bush’s Play Has Been ‘Spotty.’
PITTSBURGH — Devin Bush’s third season with the Steelers has not gone the way anyone wanted it to go. The former first-round pick who the Steelers moved up the board for in the 2019 NFL Draft is coming off of a Torn ACL. As such, that may be a catalyst to the downward trend of his play.
However, even still, Bush has looked slow and unsure of himself the entire year. He has been toasted in coverage, the running game, and overall pales in comparison to the explosive player he was at Michigan and in his rookie season. For Mike Tomlin, he knows that Bush’s play has not been up to snuff, and hopes it can take an upward trend as the season goes along.
“His play has been spotty at times,” Tomlin said of Bush’s play. “It hasn’t been at the level of consistency that we would like or that he would like. But he has had some challenges from a health standpoint and working back from the injuries he’s had. You look at some of the similar injuries around the league, and they are participating much less. Unfortunately, I saw Bud Dupree, for instance, get put on IR last week. Saquon Barkley is in a similar situation. Zach Banner on our team is still working his way back. We want more from him, he wants more from himself, but we are appreciative that he put himself in a position to be available.”
That is anything but a ringing endorsement for Bush. Tomlin is certainly semi-acknowledging that Bush’s injuries may be holding him back to a degree. In addition to his ACL recovery, Bush also suffered a groin injury early this season. That certainly is a big factor in all of this, however, it would likely be next year that Bush would return to a level of play expected from him if that is the case.
The Steelers need Bush to play at a high much higher level than he is now, and if he fails to do so, it is hard to see his fifth-year option getting picked up.
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