Former Pittsburgh Steelers LB Devin Bush signing with Cleveland Browns

During the 2024 free agency, a handful of AFC North players have stayed in the conference and jumped ship to a rival franchise. Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush is a year removed from playing in Steel City, but he has also joined that list as he is headed back to the division, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

According to the NFL insider, Bush has agreed to join the Cleveland Browns on a one-year deal.

Bush is set to return with the Seattle Seahawks. In Seattle, the former first round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft was limited to just 13 games with only. In those three games, he recorded 37 tackles, 18 solo, with five tackles for a loss.

If the Browns get a version of Bush similar to his rookie season in Pittsburgh, it’ll be a significant pickup for Cleveland, who is looking to bolster their defense. In Bush’s rookie year, he played in all 16 games, starting in 15 of them, recording 109 tackles, 72 solo, nine tackles for loss, forced four fumbles, had two interceptions, one sack, and one defensive touchdown.

More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2024 calendar year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams can enter into a legal negotiation with players who are set to become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits. Following the restricted free agent deadline comes the 2024 NFL Draft, which runs from April 25-27.

More on restricted, exclusive rights free agents

Players with only three years of accredited NFL experience become restricted free agents. Their original team will have the option to apply first-round, second-round, original-round, and right-of-fight-of-first-refusal tenders on players at escalating price tags. The higher the round, the more expensive the tender amount; however, if a separate team does offer a contract and the original team does not match, that round’s pick will be conveyed from the new team to the original team. Right of first refusal only gives a team the option to match or not. If they don’t match, they get nothing in return. An original-round tender would send a draft pick from whatever round the player was drafted back to the original team if they chose not to match. The original team will have five days to match once a player signs an offer sheet from a new team.