Fanduel
Log In
The Duel

3 Linebacker the Steelers Can Trade for to Replace Devin Bush

By Max Staley

Devin Bush's ACL injury relaly hurts the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense.
Devin Bush's ACL injury relaly hurts the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense. / Joe Sargent/Getty Images
facebooktwitterreddit

The Pittsburgh Steelers were dealt a devastating blow on Sunday, as star second-year linebacker Devin Bush tore his ACL. That knocks him out for the remainder of the year, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of an otherwise-elite defense. It's a particularly troubling injury because Pittsburgh is thin at inside linebacker, with Bush having played 100% of the team's defensive snaps prior to this week.

That puts a lot on the plate of linebacker Vince Williams, who has only started 16 games once since entering the league in 2013. Likely needing to upgrade the position, or at least add some depth, here are three linebackers that could be solid trade targets for the Steel Curtain.

3. Haason Reddick, Arizona Cardinals

Haason Reddick boasts a first-round pedigree, but he hasn't done much in his four-year career, starting a grand total of 20 games. But like Bush, Reddick is an explosive athlete who has real sideline-to-sideline speed. Pittsburgh could be willing to bet that a change in scenery could unlock something in the Temple product. From Arizona's perspective, trading Reddick could give them an excuse to play first-round pick Isaiah Simmons, who has played fewer than 30% of the snaps in each game this season.

2. Jarrad Davis, Detroit Lions

Jarrad Davis is another former first-round pick, but he's actually impressed in limited time this year. Pro Football Focus has given him a stellar 81.1 overall grade (92.3 in coverage) despite playing just 126 snaps on the year. Since they're not using him much anyway, the Detroit Lions could be looking to move Davis at the deadline and Pittsburgh would be a natural landing spot.

1. Zach Cunningham, Houston Texans

On the other end of the spectrum, Zach Cunningham has been abysmal this year, posting a 36.7 overall grade from PFF. This is a stark contrast to what he had been doing previously, as Cunningham had never posted a season-long grade below 65.0, also getting a 73.0 or higher as a run defender in each of the last three seasons. Still just 25 years old, Cunningham could be a fantastic replacement for Bush in the short-term, and a great complement to him in the longterm.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk free for up to $1,000!

Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.