The Pittsburgh Steelers have a difficult decision to make on inside linebacker Devin Bush this offseason.
The team must decide whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option, securing him to the team through the 2023 season. The biggest roadblock in the process, right now, is trying to determine how much an ACL surgery last season is, and will, hold him back on the field.
Bush believes he's the same player. And it's not just him who isn't meeting their potential on the Steelers roster.
"I think my first and second years were definitely two good years," Bush said. "My third year was a year I’ve never experienced before, especially coming back from an injury like that. It was my first time going through an injury like that. It was my first time getting surgery. It was my first time going to rehab, and my first time being away from the game for a full year.
"It was a learning experience. I had a lot of ups and downs. I’m still the same player. I know I’m the same player. I feel like I’m the same player. The stat sheet may not reflect that, but no one here on the Steelers football team is playing up to their potential."
It isn't just the physical aspect that's hold Bush back, he said, as the mental side is equally as challenging.
"I mean, there’s a huge mental aspect to it," Bush said. "I guess a good example for it would be this. If you get bit by a dog, who is to say the next time you go pet a dog."
Bush still wants to play, though, and he's devoted to the Steelers - if they'll keep him.
"I just play football," Bush said. "I don’t even know who we play next weekend… I would love to be here. If they want me here, then it will show. But I don’t think about the business side of it yet."
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