Steelers: Failed first-round pick doesn’t understand why he wasn’t brought back

The Pittsburgh Steelers moved on from one of their recent first-round draft picks, who doesn’t understand why he wasn’t re-signed by the team.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft, as they look to improve their roster in hopes of making the playoffs after just missing out on it last year. While they did have some hits in recent years, such as linebacker T.J. Watt, they did take swings on some prospects, but missed on their projections.

One of them is linebacker Devin Bush.

After a less than stellar first three years, the Steelers declined Bush’s fifth-year option, allowing him to hit free agency entering the 2023 league year. Sure enough, the Steelers let him walk, and didn’t attempt to re-sign him. Now, Bush is with the Seattle Seahawks on a one-year deal.

During an appearance on The Ian Furness Podcast, Bush opened up about his departure from Pittsburgh, and said he had no idea why the team would decline his fifth-year option.

Devin Bush doesn’t know why Steelers declined his fifth-year option

“I wish I knew, but to this day, I have no answer,” said Bush, h/t SteelersNow.com. “What I can say is that when one door closes another one opens so I am excited for the opportunity. The way I felt about it was I knew it was a business. It told me that I wasn’t in the future of the Steelers [plans] so that’s fine. There’s 31 other teams out there, Seattle is one of them and now look where I am at.”

The Steelers had high hopes for Bush, as they traded up to the No. 10 spot in the 2019 NFL Draft to select him out of Michigan, and surrendered their first- and second-round picks in 2019 and their 2020 third-round pick to the Denver Broncos.

There was promise in his rookie year, as he recorded 109 combined tackles (72 solo, 37 assisted), nine tackles for loss, four passes defended and two interceptions. He finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting that year. But in 2020, Bush suffered a torn ACL five games into the season.

Bush never panned out after returning in 2021. Even with the addition of Brian Flores as linebackers coach last year, Bush struggled. In 17 games (14 starts), Bush recorded 81 combined tackles (44 solo, 37 assisted) and two passes defended. In coverage, he surrendered 28 receptions for 318 yards and one touchdown on 38 targets, per Pro Football Reference.

After this past season, Bush signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Seahawks. He will look to have a career resurgence on a Seahawks team that looks to build off of an impressive 2022 season that defied the odds and made the playoffs.

While Bush was unsure of why he wasn’t brought back by the Steelers, he is now looking forward to the start of his tenure with the Seahawks.