Pittsburgh Steelers fans are quick to recognize the team's needs at quarterback and wide receiver, but the need to improve the off-ball linebacker position isn't talked about enough. Pricey veteran Patrick Queen is coming off a disastrous 2025 season, and the Steelers could save $13.3 million by releasing him ahead of free agency.
This isn't a move general manager Omar Khan and the Steelers are going to want to make without having a backup plan in place. While Pittsburgh appears to have one quality option at the position—Payton Wilson—they need another stable option at the position.
Surprisingly, the Steelers could find that in the most unlikely free agent imaginable: Devin Bush.
This isn't a hot take; Bush was legitimately good with the Cleveland Browns over the past two seasons. During his Steelers tenure, Bush was underwhelming and proved to be a busted draft pick. However, a reunion actually makes sense for Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could seek a reunion with free-agent LB Devin Bush
You might remember Bush as a timid linebacker in Pittsburgh—a player who would allow the play to come to him and refused to make plays behind the line of scrimmage. But that description doesn't resemble the Devin Bush we saw in his last two seasons in Cleveland.
In Jim Schwartz's defense since 2024, Bush has been a downhill thumper. The athleticism we saw pre-ACL injury was back, and he showed off his impressive sideline-to-sideline ability.
In 2025, Bush finished the season earning 125 total tackles, seven tackles for a loss, eight passes defended, two forced fumbles, and three interceptions. Additionally, Bush has now graded out as a top-10 NFL linebacker in back-to-back seasons, per Pro Football Focus. In 2025, Bush earned an 87.6 PFF grade—4th among LBs and higher than players like Zack Baun and Jordyn Brooks.
The best part is, based on recent contract projections, the Steelers could save money by releasing Patrick Queen and signing Devin Bush.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bush is expected to ink a multi-year deal in free agency worth $12 million per season. This might seem like a lot, but Queen is set to have over a $17 million cap number for Pittsburgh for the 2026 season, and getting out of his deal to save $13.3 million is a no-brainer.
But even though Bush has improved, why would the Steelers want him back?
It's important to remember that the current Steelers front office and coaching staff have almost zero ties to Bush. It was former GM Kevin Colbert who traded up in the first round for Bush in the 2019 NFL Draft, and it was Mike Tomlin and his old coaching staff who worked with him in Pittsburgh.
Theoretically, Bush could get a fresh start in Pittsburgh with new coaches and a different front office making the calls. And outside of veterans Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt, he'd have almost completely different teammates around him.
Bush would also serve as an excellent complement to Payton Wilson. While both players have remarkable speed and athletic traits, Bush is best working downhill from the box, while Wilson is much better playing in space. PFF has Bush ranked as the 8th-best overall free agent in 2026, so that's saying something.
Bush was one of the youngest players in the NFL when he entered the league in 2019, so despite entering his eighth season, he's just 27 years old—and playing by far the best football of his career at that.
Three years ago, Steelers fans would have laughed at the idea of Devin Bush returning to Pittsburgh. But now, his presence on defense might be exactly what this team needs. Bush had numerous hiccups in the past, but after working with Jim Schwartz, the veteran linebacker finally turned into the player Steelers fans hoped he would be when they drafted him.