Steelers' Vince Williams Shares Behind The Scenes Reasons For Devin Bush's Big Failures

For Pittsburgh Steelers fans, there is one name that can bring painful memories and years of frustration to the surface: Devin Bush Jr. The Steelers took a chance on the speedy middle linebacker by trading up from 20th overall to 10th. At the time, the front office saw the cost (2019 1st round pick, 2019 second-round pick, 2020 third-round pick) as well worth it, but here in 2023, we all know better. Bush is now on his second NFL team, signing with the Seattle Seahawks in March, and while he is no longer on the roster, questions on the trade itself, Bush's value and the fallout have many fans sitting with unanswered questions. It seems like former Steelers' linebacker, Vince Williams, understood the frustration of the fans and took the time to explain the many sides and aspects of the Bush situation.

Steelers Ask A Lot From Their Middle Linebackers

Williams was a guest on David Ribeiro's Steelers Sanctuary Podcast on Wednesday and the show kicked off with Ribeiro focusing on the Steelers' linebackers and where they stand at the moment. Ribeiro mentioned how many new faces were in the linebacker's room and what Williams thought the most important thing was for the retooled position group, noting that right now there is a lack of Pittsburgh experience in the room.

Before getting right to the answer, Williams went through the impressive list of coaches who he has had the privilege of learning from during both his collegiate and NFL career. He went through names like Bobby Bowden, Jimbo Fisher, Mike Tomlin, legendary draft guru Tom Shaw and Steelers great, Dick LeBeau. The point wasn't to brag, but rather to point out that when Williams gave an opinion on the challenges of being a linebacker in the NFL, it isn't conjecture or random opinion. Williams then explained why the Bush draft error had the kind of impact it did by going into the meaning that middle linebacker has in Pittsburgh.

"Linebacker is probably the most difficult position on the Steelers' defense. I think a lot of people don’t give it enough credit. When people talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers they immediately just go to the outside guys, you know, historically and recently. But what really holds the defense together is the middle linebackers."

A middle linebacker for the Steelers must be able to excel at the other positions surrounding him. Williams pointed out that in Pittsburgh, the middle linebackers had to know the entire defense, including every coverage. The Steelers play a specific style of zone that puts the responsibility of knowing your assignment onto the players themselves, but it all begins at the middle linebacker position. 

If the centerpiece of the defense reads his responsibility wrong, everything else will be a little more off or collapse completely. This type of "matchup zone", as Williams referred to it, put faith in the middle linebackers to recognize, communicate what they saw, execute and then adjust within space as well.

"You may be the three-receiver hook, you may be the seam guy, you may be one-on-one with the tight end, you may be one-on-one with a receiver, you may be one-on-one with a running back that gets flexed out. Then, also, you have to be able to blitz."

With so much on the plate of a middle linebacker, the conversation had only one place to go next; how much did all that expectation impact Bush's decline and disappointing time as a Steelers defender?

Steelers' Defensive Challenge Was Above Bush's Ceiling

Ribeiro didn't take long to ask Williams whether the inherent difficulty found in the Pittsburgh defense was the reason that Bush didn't live up to the high-tier draft stock he was considered to be. A complex system that puts a massive amount of responsibility onto the middle linebacker required a player who could handle that kind of pressure and while Williams acknowledged the rough journey Bush had with his knee injury, he also didn't say that he thought Bush could have ever handled the full weight of that responsibility.

"I think Devin is a mystery to me. I’ve seen people say that Devin don’t like football, but he really loves football. That was evident in his rookie year. He was having a tremendous amount of upside. I think that the knee injury did play a role in his development and how far he fell behind. I think he was also a very young guy, like [being] a 20-year-old in the NFL is a difficult thing to handle."

Williams used JuJu Smith-Schuster as an example because he was also 20 years old when he was drafted by the Steelers. The difference was that Smith-Schuster could rely on the talent that surrounded him and had the luxury of learning rather than having to shoulder it all right away. Bush never had that, mainly because the talent was supposed to be him and thus the other defenders would lean on him, but that didn't happen. 

Williams saw this method as a hindrance to whatever confidence level Bush may have had in him prior to the knee injury. Bush was touted as a speed player who would be the kind of sideline-to-sideline defender that Troy Polamalu and Ryan Shazier were, but the knee trouble removed his natural speed and what was left never rose to the occasion.

"I think Juju was fortunate. When Juju was 20 we had a pretty good offense around him full of leaders over there. A lot of grown-ups…And we had a lot of guys kinda help him. I think Devin, he had a little bit but he needed more of it. And I think the knee injury slowed down too."

The most revealing moment of the podcast, though, was when Williams finished the segment by explaining the kind of investment needed to even find a middle linebacker with the do-it-all skills needed to excel in a Steelers' defense. Bush was a high pick at 10th overall, but the height of his selection meant he only fell further, however, it was that kind of decision that Williams sees as being necessary to bring those "everything linebackers" onto a team. 

Williams went through the great, versatile Steelers' linebackers through the years to show the kind of draft capital required to bring a player of that caliber into the facility, but Bush's name was completely left off that list. A very diplomatic Williams avoided directly saying a negative review of the linebacker, but when you list successful, high-pick defenders in Pittsburgh's past and Bush isn't on it, the reason is obvious and hard to miss.

"What pick was Ryan [Shazier]? Ryan was the 14th pick. Lawrence Timmons was the 12th pick or 13th pick. James Farrior was a top-ten pick, right? These are hyper-athletic guys in these positions; first-round, top picks! Like, imagine if TJ Watt was a middle linebacker, we wouldn’t be having middle linebacker problems. So, I think you can find them, I think you just gotta go get those guys to do it.”

Williams brought it right back to a positive place, though, wishing Bush well in his time as a Seahawk and not ruling out a career that could still be considered a success. Bush is young, the age he was drafted means that a short career for others could be lengthy for Bush, but if he never reaches that level in the NFL, we all know why now, even if Williams won't be directly saying so.

What was the reason Bush wasn't successful in Pittsburgh? Do you think he will find success in Seattle?

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