One of the biggest surprises from the Chicago Bears through the first four weeks of the 2026 season is the defensive performance. The defense appeared to be undermanned coming into the season. However, they currently rank sixth in expected points allowed.
This is a surprise to many, but it is not a shock to free agent addition Devin Bush. The Bears' big free agent addition noted that this is what he expected when he signed to play for the team.
“This is what we sign up to do,” said Bush after the game. "We play hard, we play together, we play for each other.”
Bush signed a three-year, $30M deal in free agency this offseason. That is a great deal for a player who was close to being deemed a bust. At the same time, Bush made it clear that he signed with Chicago because he believes in the defense.
Chicago Bears linebacker Devin Bush believes in defensive turnaround
Bush was a former top ten pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, after his first four seasons in Pittsburgh, it was looking like he was going to be a bust. Bush spent a year in Seattle revitalizing his career before starting for the Cleveland Browns for two seasons.
The Bears liked what they saw from Bush over that time and made a big bet on him. So far, it is paying off. Bush has been a leader of the defense through four games. He has 19 tackles with three going for loss. Bush also has a sack and a pass breakup.
Bush is not the only new addition this season. Up front, Kentavius Street was signed in free agency. They are also starting completely new safeties. Rookie Dillon Thieneman is leading the way. Other starting options such as Xavier Woods and Cam Lewis have mixed in with Thieneman. Rookie Malik Muhammad is also getting work on the defense as a fresh face.
So, the defensive success is a little bit of a few players performing better in their second year with Dennis Allen. It is also players being brought in with a specific purpose to turn the defense around.
It will be interesting to see if Allen can continue to get the defense playing above its head. If players like Bush continue to be great fits in the defense, it is going to continue to overshoot expectations.
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