Myles Garrett’s teammate considered one of most efficient players in NFL, and Browns have to pay up

Despite Shedeur Sanders taking up most of the headlines for the 2025 Cleveland Browns, the true MVP of the team was very clearly Myles Garrett. The All-Pro pass-rusher put together a historic season, breaking the single-season sack record and winning the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Garrett led a Browns defense that did everything it could to keep the team competitive. Sanders could only do so much as a fifth round rookie playing meaningful snaps, and the Browns offense couldn’t get much of anything going throughout the year. Time and time again, Garrett’s defense tried to bail the offense out, but it wasn’t an easy task.

Devin Bush is set to get paid big-time after stellar 2025 season

The strong performance of the defense wasn’t just Garrett, though. Devin Bush, who was once a surefire starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers and then became just a role player, put together a truly fantastic season as the Browns’ best linebacker. The numbers fully back it up, too.

NFL.com published a deep dive into players fans might not know were incredibly efficient in 2025, and Bush topped the list. Bush also ranked fourth out of 88 qualified linebackers with an 87.6 overall Pro Football Focus grade.

This all sets Bush up for what could be a big payday. Bush was playing on a one-year contract in 2025 and is scheduled to hit free agency this March. Cleveland’s front office must decide if Bush is a long-term answer at linebacker, or if his 2025 season was an outlier.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah “doubtful at best” to play in NFL again

Their decision may have gotten made by itself on Saturday, though, as a report emerged that Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is unlikely to play football again. “JOK” suffered a neck injury in October of 2024 and hasn’t played since. Owusu-Koramoah’s injury actually paved the way for more playing time for Bush.

Given Bush’s first-round pedigree, his 2025 performance, his relatively young age and the absence of Owusu-Koramoah, the linebacker is in a prime position to get paid – either by the Browns or another team.