6 options to replace Steelers’ Bush after ACL injury Sunday

Darron Lee

As a former first-round pick, Darron Lee has been a major bust, but as a street free agent who would be added for depth, he has some serious potential. Known for his elite speed, Lee struggled to find a constant role with the Eagles and Chiefs before ending up as an unsigned free agent this year. Considering he could be added to the practice squad, he makes a lot of sense as a potential fix with Bush’s season-ending early.

Given his speed is equitable to Bush’s, Lee would provide that spark as a mack fill in. As well, Lee is an accomplished special teams player, meaning that he can be active on game days even if he isn’t seeing a lot of playing time on defense. While he has struggled to make reads at the line, his athleticism has made him a decent coverage linebacker. He notably only gave up a QB rating of 67.6 in 2018 (his last year with the Jets) before giving up a 102.8 last year in a limited role.

Again, the goal isn’t for Lee to come in and start right away. The goal is for him to come in and begin learning the system so if the replacements struggle or another injury occurs, the Steelers have a plugin option. To be honest, his biggest selling point is his speed, and that can be used both on the defense and on special teams. Perhaps the Steelers add him to the practice squad at first so he can take a few weeks to learn the system. Don’t be surprised to see him earn a helmet sooner than later as his profile is very similar to Bush.