Rookie LB Bush is always learning
There’s a standard and lineage any Steelers linebacker or defender is charged to uphold
On a recent afternoon at Steelers headquarters on the South Side, a large, bearded man meandered through the team facility, watching practice and handing out beef jerky to former teammates.
“Who’s that?” asked rookie first-round pick Devin Bush.
“Oh, that’s Brett Keisel,” replied fellow linebacker Vince Williams. “Let me tell you a funny story about how he brought me along.”
So Williams spun a yarn to explain to Bush how “The Diesel” and other Steelers veterans gave him words of encouragement when he needed it, when he was Bush’s age, when he was a young member of a defense that wanted him to improve as a player.
“And he’s like, ‘Man, that’s incredible,’” Williams said. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, you’re going to be telling stories like that one day about me, hopefully.’”
Friday, Bush was named the Steelers rookie of the year, as voted on by reporters who cover the team. It’s an honor that seemed like a sure thing from the moment they traded up 10 spots to select him 10th overall in April, their highest draft pick since Plaxico Burress went No. 8 in 2000.
When Bush accepted the award in the same room where he was introduced as a Steelers player eight months prior. But before we get to all the warm and fuzzy leading into what could be the final game of Bush’s rookie year Sunday in Baltimore, let’s think back to the first Ravens game, when Bush jumped offsides on fourth-and-6 — seconds after lineman Cam Heyward motioned for him to stay back — and got a slam on the shoulder pads from an incensed defensive captain.
“Of course you’re going to get tough love around here, because they care,” Bush said. “They genuinely care. They want success not just for the team, but for you. They’re going to push you. That’s one thing, they’re going to push you.”
And they are going to keep you in line, even if you are second among all NFL rookies in tackles (99), first in fumble recoveries (four) and tied for third in interceptions (two).
“We tell Devin to shut up every day,” Williams said with a grin. “He has an ego, too, you know what I mean? He knows he’s a top-10 pick.”
Not only does Bush rank second behind Terrell Edmunds on the Steelers in tackles and is tied for first with T.J. Watt in fumble recoveries, but he has the most stops by a rookie in franchise history. This is essentially what Williams envisioned when he requested that Bush be placed next to him in the locker room, even though he was a speedy new-aged linebacker acquired at least in part to change Williams’ involvement in the defense.
“I wanted him over here,” said Williams, who’s no longer a full-time starter and is on pace to have his least productive season since 2016. “I looked at it as — not like he needed me or whatever, but ... I felt like I had great leaders and great vets. Larry Foote, LaMarr Woodley, Lawrence Timmons. Those guys really leaned into me. There was never really a selfish vibe. They never acted like I was coming to try to take their job.”
And yet, Williams describes himself as a “selfish-ambition type of person” — but he’s enjoying the role of being a mentor, and “more engaged than I’ve ever been.” No need to bring out the rocking chair just yet for Williams, who turned 30 the same day Bush was named rookie of the year, but he has played fewer snaps this season with Bush and free-agent signing Mark Barron in the fold. He still has two seasons left on his four-year deal, but he was never as fast as Bush, and never will be.
But he has the experience, both in the Steelers system and in the NFL. Williams can offer Bush tips on diagnosing a play as much as how to take care of his body off the field, from training regimens to dietary supplements.
“He’s very black and white with the information he gives. It either is, or it isn’t, and that’s how he’s going to break it down to you,” Bush said of Williams.
“It’s just a testament to show what type of team, what type of atmosphere it is around here. He could’ve easily said, ‘I don’t want to deal with that guy, I don’t want to be around him.’”
On the contrary, cornerback Joe Haden counts Bush in his category of “good-ass dudes,” young players such as T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick, who “never think they know too much.” That means they’re ready to take coaching, always listening, never late for meetings and adding valuable input once they’re in them.
“I know what he’s capable of, and I know he’s going to be doing it in this league for a long time,” Heyward said of Bush. “It’s about ingraining those little things now.”
Heyward is also the first to lord his Ohio State ties over Bush’s alma mater, given that Michigan has beaten the Buckeyes once in its past 16 tries. And Williams is just as quick to give Bush goodhearted grief on Twitter or in their corner of the locker room, usually for what Williams has dubbed Bush’s “pony fade” braided hairstyle.
“It’s coming from a place of love,” said Haden, who sits back there with Williams and Bush. “Vinny’s going to pick on him because he cares about him. He knows how much ability, how much talent he has, so it’s to be expected, but it’s coming from so much love.”
Love, and obligation. Williams insists he knew all along that Bush wouldn’t hit the dreaded “rookie wall” — “He loves football, he can’t get enough of it, he’s like, ‘I love this [stuff],’” Williams beamed — but there’s a certain standard and lineage any Steelers linebacker or defender is charged to uphold. One day, the responsibility will fall to Bush.
That’s why Williams catches himself telling Bush the same things, imparting the same lessons, that were once passed down to him.
“All the time,” Williams laughed. “It’s funny, because it just keeps going. The cycle keeps going.”
Notes
The Steelers ruled out running back James Conner for Sunday after Conner missed practice all week with a thigh injury. Maurkice Pouncey is the only other player on the active roster who will miss the game . ... Heyward was given the “Chief Award,” voted on by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Pro Football Writers Association for the player most cooperative with the media.