Myles Harden #26 and Devin Bush #30 of the Cleveland Browns
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Myles Harden #26 and Devin Bush #30 of the Cleveland Browns
No doubt, it will be a busy few weeks ahead for the Cleveland Browns, as the team seeks to rebuild what may well have been a historically bad offense, one that sits here at the end of the league year with no true No. 1 quarterback, no true WR1 and very possibly no starting-caliber offensive linemen on the roster.
The Browns will need to be aggressive in free agency–despite some limitations on what they have available to spend–to identify and bring in pieces that will bolster their offensive situation without breaking the bank. That’s where the bulk of the focus for fans and observers of the team has been.
But it’s not just the offense that will need attention, of course. Though the bulk of the defense is under contract and the system is not expected to change under new coordinator Mike Rutenberg, the Browns have some decisions to make on some key players on that side of the ball–and one in particular, breakout linebacker Devin Bush.
Browns Should Make Devin Bush a ‘Priority’
Bush was outstanding for the Browns in 2025, after a mostly underwhelming career with the Steelers (he was the No. 10 pick out of Michigan for Pittsburgh in 2019) and one year with Seattle. Last year, he had a career-high 125 tackles and intercepted three passes, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
But Bush has been on bargain deals in his two seasons with Cleveland ($3.25 million last year) and that’s not going to be the case this year. It won’t be cheap, but as ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi writes, Bush should be at the top of the Browns’ must-have list.
“Cleveland doesn’t have a long list of priority free agents, but Bush rests at the top …” he noted. “With Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah sidelined for the majority of the past two seasons because of a neck injury, Bush has established himself as a reliable starter and formed a solid duo with Carson Schwesinger.
“Bush, though, is due for a raise after playing in 2024 and 2025 on a pair of one-year deals that amounted to $2.5 million in average annual salary.”
Injury Could Add Leverage
At Spotrac, Bush is projected to cost the Browns a three-year, $26 million contract, or $8.9 million per year. That is not necessarily a back-breaking amount, but it is a significant price in what is usually a relatively low-balled linebacker market. It’s also three times what the Browns had allocated to Bush, so it will sting.
But the bigger question, too, might be whether the Browns have seen their position with Bush weakened amid news from Cleveland.com that Owusu-Koramoah is not likely to play again in the NFL. That obviously gives Bush stronger leverage and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is well-versed in using leverage.
Bush was a big surprise for the Browns in 2025, and Spotrac’s Mike Ginnitti, an NFL contract guru, projects that the team will be comfortable paying him.
Said Ginnitti on an earlier episode of “The Spotrac Podcast“: “He started at the bottom the past three seasons and has risen himself to be a formidable off-ball linebacker. He is not gonna be in the $15 million per year conversation despite his draft pedigree. But half that is about right–$8 or $9 or $10 million per year. You want to put him on a three for $30 (million)? I think team and player are comfortable with that.”