Though Pittsburgh Steelers CB Darius Rush has only been with the team for about a week, and it may be several more before he even dresses, DC Teryl Austin likes his potential. Swapped in last week for CB Desmond King II, who played all of one defensive snap for the Steelers, Rush is on his third team in his rookie season. But Austin sees a home in Pittsburgh.
“I think he gives us — he’s a big young corner that’s really fast,” Austin said via a team-provided transcript. “I know coming out of South Carolina he had really good special teams tape as well. So, the object for us was to get him in here to see what he can do in terms of corner play and try to develop him.”
Rush was lost in the shuffle of a strong cornerback class and was even overshadowed on his own team by teammate Cam Smith, who became the 51st overall pick of the Miami Dolphins. Pittsburgh’s clearly developed a “type” at cornerback, following a similar model of John Schneider/Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks and Chris Ballard of the Indianapolis Colts. Big, long, fast. The Steelers now have a trio of those dudes:
Joey Porter Jr.: 6024, 34-inch arms, 4.46 40
Cory Trice Jr. 6033, 32 3/8-inch arms, 4.47 40
Darius Rush: 6017, 33 3/8-inch arms, 4.36 40
Rush was a favorite of ours in the pre-draft process. A big and athletic man-cover corner who, as Austin pointed out, played on special teams throughout his career, even when he served as a starting cornerback for the Gamecocks. Against Clemson, watch him down this punt inside the 1-yard line. Rush is the right gunner, throwing the ball back in the field of play before running through the end zone.
Injuries were one of the reasons he fell in the draft. Shoulder surgery in 2021, a hamstring injury in 2022, an injury during his redshirt freshman season. Thought to be a Day Two corner, he fell to the Colts in the fifth round. Surprisingly, he didn’t make it out of camp and was claimed by the Kansas City Chiefs. He was on their practice squad until the Steelers plucked him off it.
While Rush is a developmental player not yet ready to play on defense, Austin knows the name of the game is having a stockpile of young and “toolsy” corners.
“I don’t think you can have enough young corners in your program,” Austin said. “As you guys know, they can go down in a heartbeat. If you’re caught holding the bag, that’s not very good.”
Overall, the Steelers’ cornerback group has been healthy this season. Levi Wallace has missed a tiny bit of time but there’s been no substantial injuries. Still, that could change in a moment’s notice, and you better be protected against it. With how many top receivers there are in the league — the Steelers have seen that with the Los Angeles Rams last week and the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday — there’s no such thing as too much depth.
There’s also an eye towards the future. Wallace and James Pierre are set to become unrestricted free agents while Patrick Peterson is 33 and on a two-year deal that runs through 2024. The Steelers’ cornerback room could look different seven months from now and it may highlight a player like Rush.
