The Browns have issued a statement following the arrest of linebacker Devin Bush on Sunday. He is charged with simple assault and harassment.
The Cleveland Browns are in an awkward position as a franchise. Cleveland is still in a perilous financial position after giving Deshaun Watson a fully-guaranteed contract back in 2022. The Browns will have a platoon of quarterbacks, including rookie Shedeur Sanders, competing for the team's starting job this summer. Unfortunately, the Browns got more bad news on Sunday involving one of their defensive players.
Browns linebacker Devin Bush was arrested and charged with simple assault and harassment in Pennsylvania on Sunday, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.
A spokesman for the Browns told reporters on Monday that the team is “aware” of Bush's arrest and is “gathering more information.”
Bush currently has a preliminary hearing scheduled in Allegheny County court on Tuesday May 20th.
The six-year linebacker was once a top 10 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent his first season in Cleveland during the 2024 season. He was a consistent contributor on defense, logging 76 total tackles and one sack during the regular season. He had the fourth-most tackles on the team.
The Browns re-signed Bush to a one-year contract worth $3.25 million back in March.
Bush's arrest comes just weeks after the Browns drafted off-ball linebacker Carson Schwesinger with the 33rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Schwesinger and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah appear to be Cleveland's long-term solution at off-ball linebacker alongside Jordan Hicks. As a result, it is hard to determine at this time what impact Bush's arrest will have on his future in Cleveland.
It will be interesting to see how this situation develops throughout the summer.
Who will become the starting quarterback for the Browns for the 2025 NFL season?
Devin Bush is not the only player whose roster spot is not guaranteed heading into training camp.
The Browns will have a uniquely competitive training camp battle at the quarterback position. Cleveland will have at least four quarterbacks duking it out to become the team's Week 1 starter.
The Browns added Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett before the 2025 NFL Draft to give themselves a few veterans at the position. They followed that up by drafting both Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Flacco was the savior of Cleveland's season in 2023, proving that he still has what it takes to lead an NFL team. He will have the inside track to win the starting job, even at 40 years old.
It will be interesting to see how Sanders and Gabriel perform during their first NFL training camp this summer.
