The Denver Broncos needs approaching the 2026 offseason are obvious, but last offseason, the team did have the same needs. The front office is entering what could be the most important offseason in team history, as the stakes have gotten higher.
And even though the Broncos are just about at the top of the NFL hierarchy, the work to remain in that spot really only gets tougher. All of the players are a year older and can typically get more expensive. Denver has to juggle a ton of factors and harsh truths as they work to build another Super Bowl-caliber roster
Defensively, inside linebacker is again a top-notch need. One year after signing Dre Greenlaw on a three-year deal, the team has to again dip into the free agency market. Fortunately, there are some notable linebackers the Broncos could take a chance on, but General Manager George Paton absolutely cannot test his luck with this one player at the position.
Devin Bush's 2025 breakout season should not fool George Paton and the Denver Broncos
Devin Bush is a veteran linebacker who just played the past two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. In 2025, Bush had a career year. He finished with three interceptions, two defensive touchdowns, eight passes defended, two sacks, 125 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits.
It was Bush's best year of his career by far, and he just wrapped up his seventh season in the NFL, also having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks. Bush's 2025 season would have been very welcome in Denver, but this was an outlier year from Bush.
Prior to 2025, Bush has largely been a below-average player and an NFL Draft bust, being taken 10th overall back in 2019. Bush is only set to turn 28 years old, so he's still got some youth on his size, but he's played nearly 5,000 snaps in his career, so durability has to be a bit of a concern.
Furthermore, up until this year, according to Pro Football Reference, Bush has been a massive liability in coverage. He allowed a stellar 64.2 passer rating this year, but in his previous six seasons, he allowed a rating of 97.9, which isn't ideal.
Bush is also 5-11 and 235 pounds, so he's a bit undersized as well. If you throw away the previous six seasons of his career and only look at 2025, Bush would be a slam-dunk signing for the Broncos, but there is a lot more 'bad' in his career than there is 'good,' and at such a key position for the Broncos like inside linebacker, taking another risk just isnt smart business.
There are a few reasons why this signing would not make sense, and other more proven players out on the free agency market like Kaden Elliss or Devin Lloyd who make a lot more sense for the current state of the room.
Simply put, George Paton cannot be fool here. He must stay away from Devin Bush in free agency.