The Bucs will be looking for defensive help this offseason to shore up a unit that underperformed consistently in 2025. The linebacker position is one that will draw considerable attention. The team only has two players at that position group under contract for 2026: SirVocea Dennis and Nick Jackson. The team could be (and should be) looking for two new starters assuming Lavonte David has played his last snap. In addition to draft reports, I am going to also look at potential free agent targets the team may look into.

Devin Bush Scouting Report

Athleticism

From Bush’s 2019 pre-draft process via Mockdraftables.

Physical Measurements

• Height – 5’11 (3^rd percentile)
• Weight – 234 (31^st percentile)
• Wingspan – 76.5 (36^th percentile)
• Arm Length – 32” (41^st percentile)
• Hand Size – 9 5/8” (52^nd percentile)
• 40-yd Dash – 4.43 sec (97th percentile)
• Vert – 40.5” (95^th percentile)
• Broad – 124” (85^th percentile)
• 3-Cone – 6.93 sec (79^th percentile)
• Short Shuttle – 4.23 sec (70^th percentile)
• Bench – 21 reps (44^th percentile)

2025 Production

Via Pro Football Reference:

• Tackles – 125
• TFL’s – 7
• Sacks – 2.0
• INT – 3
• PBU – 8
• FF – 2

From Pro Football Focus:

• Stop Rate – 5.0%
• Missed Tackle Rate – 7.0%

Tape Notes

Fitting The Run

Exiting his seventh year in the NFL and he’s still dripping with athleticism. Bush is extremely springy in his lower half giving him an explosive element in all of his movements. That springiness also helps him redirect from one direction to the next as plays develop in front of him without sacrificing even a hint of speed. He is quick from the get-go and will beat blockers to their spots. It also aides him in slipping blocks. Despite his shorter frame, he is rarely overwhelmed by offensive linemen. He has a quick trigger to get downhill without sacrificing any lateral speed.

He has fantastic closing speed at the edge of the field making him ideal piece to confront how offenses are attacking every blade of grass these days with end arounds, jet sweeps and screen passes. He combines that speed with a shoulder dip to get under blocks and a quick redirect to adjust his angle of pursuit to make plays. It also gives him the versatility to spy athletic quarterbacks.

LB Devin Bush – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Ken Blaze

Bush’s best asset when confronting blocks and working to stop the run is his excellent balance and center of gravity. He can keep his footing and find leverage points to push blockers away by forcing them to lose their balance while he remains in his gap to make a stop. That helped him hit the 70th percentile in stop rate (stops are defensive plays that prevent the offense from generating positive EPA).

When he can’t avoid a strong strike from an offensive lineman he can get knocked for a ride due to his smaller stature, but he can often recover quickly because of his exceptional balance. And he’s not a thumper but is extremely sound as a tackler. He finished in the 87th percentile for missed tackle rate in 2025.

Coverage

Bush has the movement skills to actively help in coverage structures. He can pick up crossers from tight ends and even receivers and trail/shadow step-for-step and he’s not afraid to get hands on eligibles to re-route from condensed looks. He gets to flats with urgency without overrunning backs. His easy speed and fluid movements help him drop without getting his body out of position. He’s just as comfortable in a back-pedal as a half-turn drop.

LB Devin Bush – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Junfu Han

His eye discipline was really impressive in 2025, understanding where and what to look for and how offenses were trying to attack him and the Browns’ defense. That eye discipline aided him in two of his three interceptions this year as he picked off a hitch and slant from a hook where he felt the route develop and stepped in front of the receiver.

His best weapon defending the pass is the same as when he defends the run. His closing speed is electric and would be a welcome change for the Bucs.

Pass Rush

Bush finished 2025 with 8 pressures over 46 pass rushes. His 17.39% pressure rate ranked in the 39th percentile of all qualifying off-ball linebackers. It’s the one area of his game that I wouldn’t call strong and where I worry about translating to a Bucs system. A good number of those pressures were late adjustments to quarterbacks breaking contain from the pocket. But when Cleveland schemed up opportunities for him or he was given free looks, Bush took full advantage.

I thought Devin Bush had a fantastic season. He wasn’t asked to rush the passer much, but he was impactful when he did. pic.twitter.com/xfYRimpXzH

— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) January 11, 2026

Because of his lack of size, he struggles to create for other players when running games. When he tries to bang a guard from a blind side to create a hole for a teammate to loop through, he just doesn’t have the punch to stun and define the gap.

How Does He Fit The Bucs System

While Bush worked in a much different system in Cleveland with the Browns, he was asked to do enough that overlaps with how Todd Bowles uses his linebackers for me to feel comfortable that he could thrive in the Bucs’ mug-and-drop system. Bush would work well as a sideline-to-sideline run and chase weak side linebacker.

What really gets me excited about him is how fluid he is when he drops from the line of scrimmage – both from inside gaps as well as when he’s attached outside. It plays into the line of scrimmage deception that Todd Bowles wants to use without sacrificing the early windows that have become the Bucs’ Achilles heel.

He might require a few tweaks in pairing him with more of a thumper in the A gaps, while positioning Bush in wider gaps to threaten from the edge as a part of the pass rush plan where his speed would play best. But he certainly has the tool belt to still be a big upgrade for the Bucs in 2026.

LB Devin Bush – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Ken Blaze

His ability to stick with the uber-athlete Jahmyr Gibbs in space made my jaw drop.

Devin Bush’s ability to move in space is rare for his position. Here he sticks with one of the most explosive athletes in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/yl8DFtfP2e

— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) January 14, 2026

External Factors And Cost

Bush has off-the-field factors that the Bucs will have to look through to decide if he will be the right fit for the team. He was arrested in May of 2025 for assault and harassment of his girlfriend. In December he was found not guilty of those charges, but the NFL will still conduct their own investigation and may still suspend him pending the results of that investigation. That may deter the team, but the not guilty verdict may also keep him in play. In any event it will have an impact on his market price.

My best contractual comp for him right now is Logan Wilson’s 2023 deal. Inflating that for a potential $305 million cap would be $12 million APY. Wilson got four years at 27 years old. Bush is a year older, and three years has become a league-wide sweet spot for multi-year deals. That would put Bush at 3/$36 million with around $16 million guaranteed.

Provided the off-the-field concerns check out, Bush would be one of my favorite free agent targets of this cycle.