Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles continues to add playmakers for his defense. Linebacker Devin Bush and the team have reportedly agreed on a three-year, $30 million deal.
Not long after the Chicago Bears released veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, general manager Ryan Poles has already found his replacement.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears have reached an agreement with linebacker Devin Bush on a 3-year, $30 million deal that includes $21 million guaranteed.
Bush, 27, started his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers after he was selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He then went to the Seattle Seahawks for a season before spending the last two years with the Cleveland Browns.
The 5-foot-11, 235-pound linebacker finished his seventh and latest season in the NFL with 125 total tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and three interceptions (including two pick-6s). According to Pro Football Focus, Bush finished with an 87.6 overall defensive grade, easily the highest in his career.
What immediately stands out about Bush is his play speed. At the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, he ran a 4.43 40-yard dash, and that speed shows up on tape in many ways.
Here is an example of Bush using that speed to return a Joe Burrow interception 97 yards for a pick-6. His run after the catch to avoid being tackled is an underrated aspect of this play.
When it comes to dropping back in coverage, Bush was a top five linebacker in the NFL last season, finishing fourth with his 80.4 PFF coverage grade. Edmunds finished the 2025 season with four interceptions, but was the 50th-ranked linebacker in coverage (52.1 grade).
If Bush can replicate or even come close to his 2025 season performance, the Bears are getting another weapon to add to a defensive unit that finished No. 1 in takeaways.
Bush also outranked Edmunds in his run and pass rush grades from a season ago.
Bush along with newly signed defensive lineman Neville Gallimore check a box that Poles highlighted during the 2026 NFL Scouting combine: improving the defense's speed.
The Bears have also reportedly agreed to a three-year, $40 million contract with Seahawks safety Coby Bryant, who is faster than Kevin Byard III at this stage of his career.
Addressing the defense is clearly the main priority for the Bears at the start of the legal tampering period, and given the deficiencies across the unit, it makes a lot of sense.
Bush will join a linebacking core that includes veteran T.J. Edwards, who fractured his fibula in the playoffs against the Green Bay Packers, D'Marco Jackson, who has also signed a two-contract extension, 2024 fourth-round draft pick Ruben Hyppolite II and Jalen Reeves-Maybin.