The Chicago Bears upgraded their defense with the expected signing of Cleveland Browns linebacker Devin Bush to a three-year, $30 million contract on the first day of free agency.
Following the release of Tremaine Edmunds, the Bears had a big linebacker hole to fill. Bush is coming off a career year with the Browns, where he totaled 125 tackles, including seven tackles for loss, three interceptions, including two picks returned for touchdowns, eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 2.0 sacks and four QB hits in 17 starts.
Here’s a collection of all of the grades for the Bush signing from various media outlets, where experts love the addition and agree that the Bears found a great replacement for Edmunds, and at a cheaper price.
The Athletic: A
Daniel Popper: “The Bears cut off-ball linebacker Tremaine Edmunds earlier this offseason to save $15 million in cap space. They then turned to free agency to find a better, cheaper option at the same age. Edmunds provided the spine of the Bears defense with athleticism and coverage ability. Bush can fill a similar role to Edmunds against the pass, though he is not quite as long as Edmunds. Bush was a top-10 pick in 2019, and he put his game fully together in 2025 in Jim Schwartz’s Brown defense. He has elite athletic traits, including sideline-to-sideline speed. And he has the eyes to fit into multiple zone coverage looks. This is smart team-building from the Bears.”
Pro Football Focus: Very Good
Pro Football Focus: “The Bears immediately replace Tremaine Edmunds, whom they recently released, with Bush, who revived his career in Cleveland to the tune of back-to-back 79.0-plus PFF overall grades. Bush, PFF’s ninth-ranked free agent, surrendered just a 69.3 passer rating in coverage this past season, the second-best mark among linebackers. He keeps the Bears’ defense in great shape at a reasonable price point.”
Sporting News: A
Vinnie Iyer: “Bush gives Chicago a much-needed ace cover linebacker to clean up the front seven.”
Bleacher Report: B-
Bleacher Report: “The Chicago Bears had a wildly inconsistent defense in 2025 that depended heavily on takeaways. They won 11 games and the NFC North, but they were 29th in total defense and 23rd in points allowed. The Bears’ newest linebacker should help bolster the defense while also aligning perfectly with its identity as a turnover-driven unit.
“Devin Bush entered the NFL as the 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft, but he never quite played up to his draft status with the Steelers. This past season with the Cleveland Browns, however, he looked every bit like the difference-maker he was drafted to be. In 2025, the 27-year-old finished with a career-high 125 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, three interceptions and two defensive touchdowns.”
Bears Wire: B+
Brendan Sugrue: “When the Bears’ brass met the media at the NFL Combine, they preached the need to get faster on defense. They accomplished that mission with the signing of Bush. He’s a bit smaller for a linebacker, but the former first-round pick can fly to ball carriers, boasting 4.43 speed when he came out of college. He always had the talent; it just took him a few years to fully develop.
“Bush should be a heat-seeking missile in Dennis Allen’s system at WILL linebacker. He will fill the role that Tremaine Edmunds had, but Bush is a more natural fit. He excelled against the run and greatly improved his pass defense. Bush was second among all linebackers with at least 140 coverage snaps, trailing only new teammate D’Marco Jackson via Nick Whalen. And he allowed just 0.49 yards per coverage snap in 2025, also second among all linebackers, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Bush showed out last season in a big way, but the only question is, can he have success away from Cleveland’s defense?”
Bears Talk: A-
Bryan Perez: “Chicago needed a starting linebacker with speed, range, and playmaking ability. Bush checks all three boxes and is coming off the best season of his career. While the contract carries some projection risk, the upside is clear if Bush continues playing at the level he showed in 2025. For a Bears defense undergoing major change, Devin Bush has the potential to become one of the most impactful starters on that side of the ball.”
Sports Illustrated: B-
Pete Martuneac: “As far as free agency gambles go, I like this one. The Steelers didn’t draft Bush tenth overall in the 2019 NFL draft for no reason, after all. He showed the kind of potential to be a franchise linebacker and a cornerstone for a Super Bowl defense. It didn’t work out for him in Pittsburgh, but as we saw with Sam Darnold, sometimes all it takes is the right team to turn a draft bust into a Super Bowl champion. Bush’s contract with the Bears is his first multi-year contract since he signed his rookie deal, and it’s relatively cheap for the Bears. They’ve got their new starting middle linebacker, and it’s costing them $5 million less than what they would have paid to Tremaine Edmunds. I give this signing a B- for now, with potential for the grade to become a straight A once we see Bush in action.”
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: How NFL experts graded the Bears’ signing of Devin Bush
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
