5 star players the NY Jets could trade for this offseason
5. The NY Jets could trade for Devin Bush
Things haven't gone exactly as planned for the Steelers 2019 first-round pick linebacker Devin Bush. The 23-year-old taken 10th overall out of Michigan hasn't lived up to his billing thus far in Pittsburgh.
The former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year was supposed to be an every-down linebacker who would follow in the path of former Steeler greats at the position.
Instead, Bush has seemed like an ill-fit since he arrived in Pittsburgh. He has struggled to fit into the Steelers 3-4 scheme. The undersized, 5-foot-11, 230-pound linebacker hasn't been able to translate his 4.40 speed in Pittsburgh's system.
Bush has looked lost at times, taking on blocks and weeding his way through traffic in the trenches. People in Pittsburgh are starting to lose faith in him becoming the impact player they envisioned.
Bush played in only five games in his rookie campaign when he tore his ACL, and this past season, the Steelers benched him on multiple occasions throughout the season.
Bush rubbed some people in the Pittsburgh media the wrong way this past season when he appeared to pass the buck over to his teammates and coaches for his shortcomings.
Perhaps a change of scenery and a scheme change could do the once highly-touted linebacker some good. From the Jets' perspective, they might have the perfect defensive system and setting to rejuvenate Bush's career. Also, Bush wouldn't haul in a fraction of the draft capital the Steelers used to acquire him.
Followers of the Jets may see the similarities between Devin Bush and discarded Jaguars linebacker Quincy Williams, who, despite some struggles during 2021, showed enough flashes to be a part of the Jets' linebacking corps in 2022.
Both Bush and Williams have similar skill sets as chase linebackers who can cover a lot of ground. However, Bush has a higher pedigree.
The Jets are going to explore plenty of options at linebacker through the draft and free agency, so there could be better options available than Bush. But as far as targeting a buy-low candidate, who is a fit on paper, that also has a team-friendly rookie contract, Devin Bush might be worth a flyer.
Joe Douglas and the Jets will be hunting for players like Bush this offseason. They're not going to target veterans on their last legs, and the team will be targeting young players who have already ascended or still have the possibility of doing so, just like the New York Jets hope to in 2022.