Losing a stud player is never easy if you're an NFL team. Devin Bush, a player once thought to be a bust, came to Cleveland to revive his career and ended up leaving a rich man with a stellar reputation. Playing for Kevin Stefanski and Jim Schwartz, Bush posted the best seasons of his career with the Browns and saw an incredible leap in not just production but overall effective play.
He didn't just post the numbers; he made the impact. He's now moving on to Chicago, where he signed a three-year deal worth $30 million, with $21 million guaranteed. He got paid and rightfully so, as he came off a season where he had 125 total tackles, two sacks, and eight pass deflections. Pro Football Focus graded him out at a stellar 87.6 score for the season, one of the best in the league for 2025.
The Bears, by all accounts, seemingly got a great player. Bush got a great offer, and the Browns likely didn't feel they could pay him as much, if not more, simply due to the limitations that their cap space demands of them. They have other avenues they have to spend a lot of money on, and Bush priced himself out of the Browns. That happens.
But who did the Browns opt to replace him with? Quincy Williams. A one-time All-Pro player who doesn't have a history of stellar play aside from his one All-Pro season in 2023. His play declined in 2024 and 2025, a fact you could argue occurred due to his former head coach, defensive maestro Robert Saleh's firing. It very well may have played a hand in that. Yet, Saleh was his head coach for all of 2024, and Williams still declined.
He ended up having just 83 total tackles in 2025 and a PFF grade of 45.5. A serious downturn from his 2023 season, where he posted 139 tackles and a PFF grade of 81.1.
Despite that, the Browns still gave him a deal for two years, worth beteween $13 and $17 million over the life of the deal. A wild amount of money for a man who didn't even start every game for the mediocre New York Jets defense. He's declined on the field, and at 30 (when the season starts), it's hard to believe that Williams will somehow return to form when he wasn't able to when he was younger and healthier.
Now, it's entirely possible that Bush, much like Williams, was a byproduct of a strong, defensive-minded coach, and that without the former Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz calling the plays, Bush may not be worth his new contract. It's entirely possible. Yet, Bush has improved in each of the last two seasons, while Williams has declined. Was that because of age? A bad scheme fit? We'll find out, but just off the eye test, it looks like the Browns overpaid for a downgrade at the linebacker position.