Steelers decline 5th-year option on Devin Bush
Bush had 70 tackles with two sacks in 2021.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Devin Bush will be playing for his job in 2022.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have declined the fifth-year option on the inside linebacker, meaning he can become a free agent next spring.
Pittsburgh traded up in the first round of the 2019 draft to take Bush with the 10th overall pick. Bush played well as a rookie, getting 109 tackles with two interceptions and a sack while finishing third in the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Bush's career, however, hit a setback when he tore the ACL in his left knee against Cleveland in October 2020.
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FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Devin Bush (55) runs from Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith (65) and tight end Travis Kelce (87) after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Travis Heying, File)
He returned in time to start the 2021 season but saw his playing time fluctuate. He played 79% of the defensive snaps last fall, compared to 82% as a rookie and 90% pre-injury in 2020.
Bush, the son of former NFL safety Devin Bush Sr., had 70 tackles with two sacks in 2021.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This is the third time in the past four years that Pittsburgh has not exercised the fifth-year option on a former first-round pick. The Steelers let cornerback Artie Burns — their first-round selection in 2016 — walk after the 2019 season. They also didn't exercise the fifth-year option on 2018 first-round pick Terrell Edmunds, though they did re-sign Edmunds to a one-year deal late last month.