Steelers Forced To Relive The Trauma Of Their Devin Bush Trade As An ESPN Cautionary Tale

The Pittsburgh Steelers traded up for Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, which has worked out quite well for them so far. While the decision to get their offensive tackle for the future ended up being a smart move, that isn't how it was when the Steelers moved up to pick Devin Bush Jr. Nearly five years since that regrettable trade with the Denver Broncos to move up in the 2019 NFL Draft, the disappointing result is still considered a cautionary tale for the rest of the league.

In 2023, Pittsburgh only had to move up from the 17th pick in the first round to the 14th to select Jones; when it came to Bush, though, the Steelers had to move up 10 draft spots from 20th to 10th. This cost the Steelers their 2019 first and second-round picks and their 2020 third-round pick, which was a high price to pay for a franchise that rarely made those kinds of aggressive moves. Seth Walder of ESPN referred to this situation as the "we had extra picks" draft cliche, citing the move to acquire Bush as a warning to general managers in the NFL who could be tempted on draft day.

Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' general manager during the 2017 Draft, said after making the trade that he made the move because the team had extra picks thanks to the trade of Antonio Brown. Colbert was also expecting another compensatory pick in 2020 because the Steelers lost Le'Veon Bell during free agency. Walder says that the handful of picks empowered Colbert to make the trade up for Bush despite the fact that his reasoning really made no sense.

“The problem with that logic, from my perspective, is that extra draft picks are still draft picks. The fact that they weren't your original selections does not make them worth less... Pittsburgh had a little surplus of picks, but by trading up inefficiently it let someone else reap the reward."

As hopeful as the Steelers were for Bush, the linebacker turned out to be more of a bust than anything. His promising rookie season never had a successful follow-up, as he tore his ACL early in the 2020 season and wasn't the same player afterward. Bush's speed was a large component of why he seemed worth the trade, and with the knee injury, he never recovered the swiftness that defined his style.

What had been smart plays became overcompensation and mistakes, both becoming more apparent as his time in Pittsburgh continued. Following his time with the Steelers, Bush went to the Seattle Seahawks, signing with the Cleveland Browns in March 2024. While Bush may not be a member of the Steelers any longer, the bad taste from the trade still lingers with many fans in Pittsburgh.

Steelers Hoping Queen Fixes Their Linebacker Problem

A big reason why the Steelers reached for Bush as they did in 2019 was that they were attempting to repair a gaping hole in the middle of their defense. When Ryan Shazier went down with what ended up being a horrible, career-ending injury, the position became a sore spot for the team. Shazier's injury occurred in 2017, and the Steelers are still trying to find a suitable replacement for what he brought to the middle linebacker role. In 2023, there was a plethora of injuries that upset their attempt to retool the position, but then, during the 2024 offseason, they signed Patrick Queen.

Queen isn't only a former Baltimore Ravens' defender, which makes the acquisition all the sweeter, he could be the answer to the Shazier-sized hole. Coming off a 2023 season that earned him a Pro Bowl selection, Queen is eager to prove that he can excel without Roquan Smith beside him. The Steelers will give him every single opportunity to prove exactly that and hopefully lift the middle of the defense back to where it used to be.

What impact will Patrick Queen have on the 2024 Steelers' defense