Browns LB ends resurgent season with AFC Defensive Player of the Week award

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns linebacker Devin Bush ended his career-best 2025 play pinch immoderate recognition.

Bush was named nan AFC Defensive Player of nan Week connected Wednesday for nan NFL’s Week 18 slate.

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Bush helped nan Browns to a 20-18 triumph astatine Cincinnati.

In nan first quarter, Bush scored Cleveland’s first touchdown connected a 97-yard pick-six to spell on pinch 14 tackles. It was nan second-longest interception return successful nan NFL this play and tied for nan fourth-longest successful Browns history.

Bush led nan NFL this play pinch 2 interception-return touchdowns — he besides had 1 successful Week 11 against nan Ravens, a 23-yard score. He vanished pinch career-highs successful tackles (124), interceptions (three) and unit fumbles (two).

His 3 interceptions led nan Browns defense this year, up of chap linebacker Carson Schwesinger and information Ronnie Hickman, who each had two.

Bush and Schwesinger, nan frontrunner for nan league’s Defensive Rookie of nan Year award, person formed a move duo successful nan mediate of Cleveland’s defense — a overmuch needed operation without Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah each this season.

“Devin has done a really bully occupation complete nan past twelvemonth and a half of giving himself to nan strategy – being capable to play connected edges, utilizing his hands,“ Browns linebackers coach Jason Tarver said 2 weeks ago. ”We asked him to locomotion up successful man coverage, and he’s really only had a fewer times each twelvemonth that his eyes person been incorrect successful immoderate difficult situations. He’s playing pinch his hands.

“He is elastic and beardown successful his little assemblage and by being connected edges of blockers more, he’s capable to crook and gaffe and descent done things. So, he’s really been capable to maximize his awesome shot consciousness pinch really he fits successful nan defense. We request him to support doing that because he’s blitzing amended than successful past years. He’s covering amended than past years. So Devin, make maine right.”

A 2019 first-round prime by nan Steelers, Bush has really travel into his ain successful nan Browns’ defense complete nan past 2 seasons.

While he vanished 3rd successful NFL Defensive Rookie of nan Year voting six years ago, his profession sewage derailed successful his 2nd play erstwhile he tore his ACL. The Steelers declined his fifth-year action and fto him time off for Seattle. Then, aft a twelvemonth pinch nan Seahawks erstwhile his playing clip dropped off, he landed successful Cleveland and recovered a caller home.

“The business gets a clasp of you sometimes and opportunities get slim aliases things hap aliases numbers and immoderate goes connected successful this business,” Bush said earlier this year. “And arsenic a professional, this being your job, you sewage to activity done it. And arsenic you tin see, I’m Year 7 now and still doing my thing, truthful we gonna support it going.”

This is nan 2nd profession play convention grant for Bush, who besides won successful Week 6 successful 2019. He joins kicker Andre Szmyt (Special Teams successful Week 3), information Grant Delpit (Special Teams successful Week 7) and separator rusher Myles Garrett (Defensive successful Week 12) arsenic nan 4th Browns subordinate to beryllium named AFC Player of nan Week this season.

Bush is group to beryllium a free supplier erstwhile nan caller convention twelvemonth originates successful March, but nan Browns look intent connected wanting to support 1 of nan champion defenses successful nan convention together moreover amidst a hunt for a caller caput coach.

“We do person a number of players who are possibly a small spot much defense circumstantial aliases strategy specific, but I’d besides opportunity that we person a number of players that are beautiful strategy versatile,” GM Andrew Berry said connected Monday.

“Ultimately, our thought will be, ‘Hey, let’s find nan correct caput coach. Let’s find nan correct leader,’ because schemes, they really do travel and go. But it is adjacent to opportunity that we’re very pleased pinch wherever that broadside of nan shot is. That group is intact. They’re nether contract. We really do for illustration nan style of play.”

Ashley Bastock is simply a Browns hit newsman pinch cleveland.com and nan Plain Dealer, and has been since October of 2021. Ashley was named champion sports characteristic writer successful nan 2023 Ohio Associated Press Managing...