When the Chicago Bears released veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds last week after giving him permission to seek a trade, many wondered what the team would do to fill that void. Would they move D’Marco Jackson in that spot, whom they re-signed to a two-year deal on Monday?
Or would the Bears try to find their replacement in next month’s NFL draft? Chicago is not waiting until the draft for an answer, as they locked in on Devin Bush. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears inked Bush to a three-year, $30 million deal, which includes $21 million guaranteed.
The 27-year-old Bush is seemingly a perfect fit for the Bears’ defense, as he’s the same age as Edmunds but comes at a lower price. Edmunds had a cap hit of $17.9 million for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, Bush’s AAV is $10 million, putting him in the same tier as Zaire Franklin, Frankie Luvu, and TJ Edwards.
Bears Waste No Time Finding Ideal Tremaine Edmunds Replacement in Devin Bush
Bush is coming off a good 2025 campaign with the Cleveland Browns, which was quietly one of the better defenses in the league. The veteran linebacker was outstanding at stopping the run, posting an 87.3 grade, per Pro Football Focus. It was the second-straight season that Bush had a run defense grade of 80 or higher.
Now, Edmunds wasn’t a slouch in the run defense department either this past season, posting an 81.3 grade. However, Edmunds’ coverage skills left much to be desired in comparison to Bush.
Edmunds had a pedestrian 52.1 coverage grade, per PFF. Opposing quarterbacks completed 78.2% of their passes against the veteran linebacker for 530 yards and four touchdowns. But to Edmunds’ credit, he only had a 77.7 passer rating when targeted.
As for Bush, the former first-round pick wasn’t letting much get by him. Quarterbacks took their chances as they completed 78.6% of their passes. However, Bush only gave up 247 yards and a touchdown, and a fantastic 64.2 passer rating when targeted. He also had three interceptions, in which two were returned for touchdowns.
His coverage grade was a career-high 80.4 grade, which is something that Dennis Allen can hopefully build upon in 2026.
We’re only a few hours into the legal tampering period, but the Bears’ linebacker unit looks to be in great shape, despite Edmunds departure. Jackson is back in the fold for a couple of seasons, who is a tackling machine and can step in as a starter in case of injury. And now the Bears add a playmaking linebacker in Bush, who will fit in with this opportunistic defense that also has a new safety in Coby Bryant.