Ready or not, newly added Pittsburgh Steelers CB Darius Rush might get his number called this week. To hear him tell it, he’s prepared to answer the bell. Speaking to reporters Friday, Rush said injuries to the team’s cornerbacks this week gave him extra reps to catch the “moving train” and prepare him if needed Sunday afternoon against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I got a lot of reps this week,” Rush said via the team’s YouTube channel. “Guys being down. So there was opportunities to get a feel for the defense a little bit more. And get those reps.”
Pittsburgh enters the weekend with three questionable cornerbacks: Joey Porter Jr. (calf), Levi Wallace (foot), and James Pierre (ankle). It’s doubtful all three will miss but equally unlikely all three will dress. Porter was evidently injured sometime during Thursday’s practice, limited that day and again on Friday. Wallace injured his foot late in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams and was limited throughout the week. It created additional chances for Pierre, who briefly replaced Wallace late in the fourth quarter last Sunday, until he hurt his ankle and missed Friday’s session.
For the Steelers, it’s a next-man-up mentality. That man is Rush.
“Be ready to go in on special teams,” Rush said of the message the coaching staff offered throughout the week. “And, if my number’s called on defense, be ready to go in and execute on defense as well.”
While Rush is a corner, his first chance of playing in the NFL may come on special teams. Pierre is a starting gunner and if he can’t play, Rush might be his replacement. In college, the South Carolina product played special teams every year, including gunner, even as a starter in 2022. Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin referenced that skill set in his interview with the media Thursday.
A fifth-round pick last April, Rush is already on his third team. Selected by the Indianapolis Colts, he failed to crack the 53-man roster and was waived at cutdowns. The Kansas City Chiefs claimed him before shuffling him to the practice squad. Pittsburgh came in and plucked him off it. The Steelers had showed interest in Rush prior to the draft, bringing him in for a pre-draft visit before landing CB Joey Porter Jr. in the second round. It’s been a two-month whirlwind for the rookie, bouncing from place to place, and he’s looking to find stability with the Steelers.
“It’ll be very exciting to put that jersey on and go compete,” Rush said. “And have fun competing as well.”
Based off the injury report and Rush’s comments, it sounds like he’ll dress this weekend and make his NFL debut. On paper, the Steelers’ secondary looks to be in rough shape against a potent Jaguars passing game. But they were in a similar situation last year against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when nearly the entire starting secondary missed the game. CBs Cam Sutton and Wallace, along with FS Minkah Fitzpatrick, were unavailable due to injury. That day, the Steelers turned to Josh Jackson and Pierre as their starting corners and Terrell Edmunds and Tre Norwood as their starting safeties.
Despite facing a pair of strong receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Pittsburgh had its best game ever against Brady, holding him to a 25-for-43 line for 243 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers pulled off the 20-18 upset. No team plays as well with its back against the wall than Pittsburgh. A guy like Rush fits right in.
