Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush saw action in Thursday night's 24-16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the first time he's been in a game since tearing his ACL in Oct. 2020.
"He got his feet wet, so that's a great start," Coach Mike Tomlin said of Bush, per the team's official website. "We'll continue to push forward from there. Today was a big day from that perspective. I don't want to make more out of it than what it is. Now we just go on."
Bush tore up his knee in a Week 5 win over rival Cleveland. His loss was massive for the Steelers' defense. Pittsburgh struggled down the stretch of the season due, in part, to attrition after injuries like Bush's sapped it of playmakers.
When healthy, Bush is a sideline-to-sideline tackling menace who cleans up the trash and can rush the passer. However, he needs to improve in his coverage, an area that might be the hardest to improve coming off the knee injury.
The 23-year-old was cleared for training camp, but the Steelers have been cautious with the starting linebacker thus far. Thursday's appearance -- including two tackles -- is a baby step in the right direction
"It's good to get out there, get a feel for playing football again in a live stadium, just being out there and being with different groups of guys," Bush said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "It was a good experience."
Thursday's trade for Joe Schobert underscores the Steelers' desire to upgrade the inside linebacker position. Getting Bush back fully healthy for the 2021 campaign would also go a long way towards that goal. Thursday night was a step in the right direction.
Don't miss the new Game Pass experience to watch this week's LIVE preseason games. Free trial available for new users. Out-of-market games only, blackout restrictions apply. Learn more.
