Devin Bush delivered exactly the kind of energy Chicago’s defense needed at training camp after Coby Bryant’s injury
Chicago Bears linebacker Devin Bush made his presence felt against Caleb Williams and the first-team offense on Tuesday, giving Chicago’s defense the spark they needed at a critical time.
The Chicago Bears defense flipped the script on Tuesday, getting the better against the offense during an 11-on-11 full-contact session to conclude practice, after the offense had its way for much of the first week and a half of camp.
The real impact player of the day was linebacker Devin Bush, and his performance was exactly the kind of energy this Bears defense needed to see one day after losing starting safety Coby Bryant to a knee injury.
“Gotta be better. That’s with Coby or without Coby,” Bush told reporters on Tuesday when asked what the message was following Bryant’s injury. “We just have to be better. With Coby exiting, another guy’s gotta step up. Whether that be whoever’s in the safety room – whoever backs him up – as well as the all 11 on defense. The leaders gotta step up and everybody’s gotta do their part.”
Devin Bush’s disruptive presence defined Tuesday’s practice for the Bears
The highlight sequence of Tuesday’s session came at the end of practice in a situational drill. The starting offense took to the field trailing 28-23 with 54 seconds on the clock, ball on their own 47-yard line. Throughout the drive, Bush was a disruptive presence for the Bears defense. He had a couple of pressures as a pass rusher chasing down quarterback Caleb Williams and looked like the kind of player Chicago is paying high dollar for.
Then came the final play. With three seconds left from just over 30 yards out, Williams tried to force a pass to wide receiver Luther Burden III in the end zone to win the simulated drill. Burden was blown up at the goal line by Bush and others, who hit him hard enough to break up the pass and seal the “win” for the defense.
“It was a last minute play, taking a shot at the endzone. My responsibility is to not let them in the endzone, offense’s responsibility is to get the ball into the endzone,” Bush explained after practice. “Just a competitive play.”
That’s the kind of play-making ability the Bears needed to see from this defense. Bush showed he can be a closer in clutch situations, but he also adds more speed in the coverage. That’s the hallmark of his game. He’s a big-play guy. The pick-sixes and clutch plays he had at times with the Cleveland Browns playing in Jim Schwartz’s defense enticed the Bears to sign him in free agency, and those traits popped on Tuesday.
The real question is how Devin Bush’s success continues translating to Dennis Allen’s scheme
While Bush had that kind of success under Schwartz in Cleveland, there is some concern about how his play would translate to a new defensive system. The Bears are banking on Bush’s athleticism and instincts carrying over regardless of the scheme.
Chicago handed a three-year, $30 million contract over to Bush to replace Tremaine Edmunds as the Bears’ starting linebacker at the second level. Bush offers more speed to the defense but lacks the size and length Edmunds had, reflecting the stylistic change defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s unit is slated to undergo in 2026. Allen, however, doesn’t see much drop-off between the two players given the elite traits Bush brings.
“Size, length, those are things that we value. And yet, speed and athleticism is something that we value also,” Dennis Allen told reporters on Tuesday. “I don’t know that that really changes what we do as far as calling the defense. I do think that he’s going to bring some coverage versatility that I’m excited about.”
Bush added that Allen’s attacking-style scheme that blends man and zone coverage will be a perfect match for his play-style, both as a physical presence and as a player capable of making an impact play on any down.
“He wants to be a fast defense, physical,” Bush told reporters. “He wants to stop people on the goal line and in the redzone, don’t let them score. And in the field, we want to attack them.”
Based on Tuesday’s showing, everything is as advertised for the kind of player Chicago was hoping to get. Seeing Bush stand out the way he did was a welcome sign, particularly one day after losing Bryant for an extended stretch. The Bears needed a player to step up and fill the energy void, and Bush did exactly that.
