The Cleveland Browns struck gold with Devin Bush. They lured him to Northeast Ohio as a low-risk, high-reward pickup on a team-friendly deal in 2024, taking a chance on his untapped potential.
Bush emerged in Berea. He played the best football of his career this past season and finally looked like the first-round selection he was in 2019. Now, he's looking at a significant pay raise as he's scheduled to become a free agent again at the start of the new league year.
That's why, as much as Bush would benefit from staying, the Browns may have a tough time keeping him in town in free agency. In his latest column, FOX Sports analyst Greg Auman predicted Bush would sign with the Dallas Cowboys.
"Once the 10th overall draft pick with the Steelers, his play there dropped off after a promising rookie year," Auman wrote. "He made $3.2 million with the Browns and should be a coveted free agent. Pro Football Focus is high on him, ranking him as the No. 8 overall free agent and projecting $12 million a year."
The Browns are at serious risk of losing Devin Bush in free agency
The Cowboys have a pressing need at linebacker. Jack Sanborn wasn't a good pickup last season and isn't likely to come back, and Jerry Jones is expected to be active in getting new defensive coordinator Christian Parker some weapons.
Bush finished the 2025 season with a career-high 125 tackles (63 solo), eight pass breakups, seven tackles for loss, four QB hits, two QB hurries, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He turned his three interceptions into a league-leading two pick-sixes, also posting the most interception yards in the league (164). Pro Football Focus ranked him fourth among 88 eligible linebackers with an 87.6 grade.
The Browns already have an All-Pro-caliber talent at linebacker in Carson Schwesinger. However, it looks like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah might never be cleared to play again, and losing Bush would be a huge blow to a defense that has already lost its defensive coordinator.
As things stand now, the Browns have less than $1 million in available cap space. They will probably restructure several contracts to free up more space, but they might still not have enough to keep Bush away from the competition.
There aren't many hard-hitting run-stoppers with active hands in coverage like Bush, and saving his career and developing him just to watch him leave would be a gut punch.