The Pittsburgh Steelers may have a problem on their hands after losing linebacker Devin Bush for the season. Here are four linebackers they should call about.
Pittsburgh’s win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday could not have been more thrilling. The Steelers offense racked up points in a hurry, while their defense delivered some thumping blows to Baker Mayfield and company in what turned out to be a 31-point victory for the Black and Gold.
However, as exciting as this game was to watch, the sweet scent of victory was hard to enjoy. Shortly after the game, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed that linebacker Devin Bush indeed had a torn ACL and that his 2020 season would be finished.
Bush, the 10th overall pick by the Steelers in 2019, was not even halfway through his second year before his season came to an abrupt end. With his terrific athletic traits and football IQ, Devin Bush had a very promising career ahead of him, but he will have to put that on hold as he recovers from a serious knee injury.
Now, the Steelers might be in some trouble. In Bush’s absence, former undrafted linebacker, Robert Spillane, entered the game and looked pretty good going downhill and stopping the run. Unfortunately, Spillane is much closer to Vince Williams as both an athlete and a player than he is to Devin Bush, and it’s unlikely that he becomes a full-time player for the team.
With the NFL trade deadline less than two weeks away, the Steelers seriously need to consider making a trade to make sure this defense remains the best in the league. While they don’t necessarily need to make a blockbuster move like the one they made for Minkah Fitzpatrick last season, adding a talented linebacker could help keep this defense elite.
Here are four linebackers they must consider trading for before the deadline:
Jarrad Davis
Detroit Lions
Jarrad Davis has had an unusual start to his NFL career. After being the 21st overall pick by the Lions in the 2017 NFL Draft, Detriot had high hopes from the former Florida product. However, after being thrown into the fire as a rookie and asked to start 14 games, Davis fell flat.
Over his first three seasons in the league, Davis has earned overall grades of 52.8, 51.0, and 38.6 according to Pro Football Focus. However, much like Bud Dupree, Davis has taken a massive leap forward in year four.
Despite being in a more limited role on defense, Davis looks like the player the Lions had hoped he would be. Through Week 6, Davis has earned an overall grade of 81.1 (6th among all linebackers), and his coverage grade of 92.3 is the best in the league at his position.
It’s easy to find linebackers that just go downhill (i.e. Vince Williams), but the ones who can stay on the field on passing downs are rarer. Davis is in the final year of his rookie deal, and the Lions could be willing to ditch him for a mid-round draft choice. Because Detriot is probably going to lose him after the season anyway, this could be in the best interest of both teams.
Avery Williamson
New York Jets
This one almost makes too much sense for both sides. Avery Williamson is apparently one of the only good players currently on the Jets, and the team is on the fast track to getting the number one overall pick this year.
At the same time, Williamson is in a contract year, and he will be free to sign with whoever he wants in 2020. Instead of wasting his talents on a team that mathematically stands no shot this year, New York could deal him to the Steelers for a mid-to-late-round draft choice.
Even if Williamson doesn’t resign with Pittsburgh after the 2020 season, he would have earned his price of admission by the end of the season. Williamson can fill in as the starting Mack linebacker in place of the injured Devin Bush and do so at a comparable level this year.
Williamson is a respected veteran who is always around the ball. He would no doubt grade out even better if surrounded by talent on a team like the Steelers. This would be a low-cost trade for Pittsburgh that would work out best for both teams.
Sean Lee
Dallas Cowboys
So this one may not be the perfect match, but Sean Lee is still a very capable veteran player. Lee has missed all of the 2020 season so far, but he has returned to practice and is projected to be ready to play soon.
Though Lee is now 34 years old, he’s one of the most instinctive linebackers in football – as evidenced by his Pro Bowl and former first-team All-Pro honors. The Dallas Cowboys just lost their star quarterback for the season, and although they could still win their division, they know their chances of winning it all this year are going down the drain.
At the same time, Lee is not going to be pivotal to their gameplan on defense, and Leighton Vander Esch should be able to return to the field in a few weeks – making Lee a reserve player once again.
Lee may only be a shade of his old self, but he has excelled as an every-down linebacker for most of his career, and his veteran leadership and ability to sniff out plays would be a welcome addition to an already great defense. Lee wouldn’t cost much at all to obtain and he is on a one-year deal with a very reasonable cap number.
Tremaine Edmunds
Buffalo Bills
This trade would present a bit more risk for both sides involved. For the Bills, Tremaine Edmunds is now in his third NFL season, but he is playing significantly fewer snaps than he did in his previous two years (dropping from 95 percent of snaps in 2019 to 72 percent this year). However, the Bills are still a very good team so far in 2020 and they have a legitimate shot in the AFC.
For the Steelers, Edmunds is still very young (22 years old), and he has a year remaining on his rookie contract as well as a potential fifth-year option. To obtain a player as big, fast, and athletic as Edmunds would not come cheap – potentially costing them as high as a first-round pick.
However, Edmunds has an outrageous amount of talent and if paired with a team like the Steelers we could see him reach his full potential. The big linebacker could slide into Bush’s role for the remainder of the 2020 season and take over Vice Williams’ spot at Buck linebacker when Bush returns to the field next season – setting the stage for the most athletic off-ball linebacker pair in the league.
The Steelers haven’t had great luck with big brother, Terrell Edmunds, but that doesn’t mean Tremaine can’t become a superstar in this league.
A blockbuster trade for a linebacker seems like an improbable move by the Steelers before the deadline. However, we would have thought a huge trade during the season was unlikely before Pittsburgh traded for Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2019. The Steelers may try to fill Devin Bush’s role in-house, but a trade could help keep this defense elite in 2020.