Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush stood out in his team's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in last week's NFL preseason opener. Regardless, his performance seemed to have fallen short of his own expectations.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Bush feels there still plenty of room for improvement following his strong outing versus the Bucs:
“I did decent. I did alright. I think the pick would've made it a lot better. Some throws got behind me, that disappointed me a bit, so I got a lot to work on.”
Bush finished the game with 10 tackles and a pass deflection after essentially playing the entire first half. Of course, had he been able to bring in the easy interception, it would have been the cherry on top of a stellar preseason debut. Regardless, there is still plenty to love for Pittsburgh heading into the 2019 NFL season.
The Steelers made quite an investment when they traded up to take Bush with the 10th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. It was no secret that he was selected as the successor to linebacker Ryan Shazier on the inside. Fortunately, he has managed to generate plenty of hype through training, with his position coach declaring that he had been “as good as advertised” thus far.
It is encouraging to see that the rookie is holding himself to a high standard as Shazier's replacement. Although Bush is still adamant that he has plenty to work on, he is well on his way to establishing himself as the clear-cut starter once the regular season rolls around.