Devin Bush did just about everything asked of a 21-year-old rookie inside linebacker plopped into the middle of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense last season.

From a statistical standpoint, Bush had the best start to a Steelers career of any player at his position. He led the team with 109 tackles, including 72 solo, and became the first Steelers rookie to reach the century mark.

Bush also tied for the team lead with four fumble recoveries, one of which was returned for a touchdown. He intercepted two passes and had nine tackles for loss while learning the ins and outs of playing his position in the NFL.

Coach Mike Tomlin expects to see improvement in players from their first to second seasons, and Bush is no exception. Bush will be expected to expand on the 82% of the snaps he played last season, and he will carry the responsibilities of making the calls on defense.

“Communication is a big part of his general growth and development because of the position he plays,” Tomlin said. “He’s a defensive quarterback, if you will, being an all-situation linebacker, one that plays on all downs, distances and circumstances. He’s the type of guy that has to be a hub of communication.”

Given Bush’s indoctrination to the organization last fall, the Steelers did their best not to overwhelm the former Michigan star by asking him to wear the green dot and have a speaker in his helmet. Vince Williams, Mark Barron and T.J. Watt helped to fill that role.

Because Bush rarely will come off the field this season, his responsibilities as lead communicator will be added.

“We were thoughtful about the things that we asked him to do in that regard a year ago,” Tomlin said. “He was challenged enough just to play and be as productive a member of the unit as he was for us. It’s reasonable to expect him to take a significant step in those unofficial endeavors that kind of encompasses his position.”

Bush spent much of last season playing alongside Barron, who was released in March in a salary-cap move. Barron was on the field for nearly 70% of all defensive snaps last year. Williams, who logged 36.5% of the snaps, will see increased playing time this year next to Bush.

Defensive coordinator Keith Butler cited a need for improved communication as a reason Williams will start alongside Bush. Williams said he is willing to assist Bush’s development any way he can.

“I tell Devin all the time that middle linebackers are vocal communicators in the middle of the field,” said Williams, who is entering his eighth season with the Steelers. “The more you make calls, the more comfortable you get with it, the more people get confidence in you making those calls. He is just taking it in stride, watching me, seeing how I do things and learning.”

As a rookie, Bush displayed the type of sideline-to-sideline playmaking ability not seen by a Steelers linebacker since Ryan Shazier’s spinal cord injury in December 2017. With a 4.43 time in the 40-yard dash, Bush is the fastest linebacker on the roster.

Pro Football Focus ranked Bush as one of the top second-year breakout stars in the NFL, and other publications have cited him as a building block on the Steelers defense.

Butler, for one, can’t wait to see what Bush has in store once the pads come out for the first time Monday.

“We think he’s really going to come alive for us a little bit this year,” he said. “He played well for us last year as a rookie, but once you’ve been there … he’s seen the game a little bit. He knows the speed of the game. He knows what we are going to call for the most part. He’s got an idea of what we are going to expect of him.

“We’re hopeful that he’s going to be able to have a good year for us this year.”

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