With Minkah Fitzpatrick out of the lineup for the Thursday night matchup against the Tennessee Titans, the Pittsburgh Steelers needed to reconfigure some things in an effort to try and combat the loss of their standout safety.
One of those adjustments in the secondary included the insertion of rookie Darius Rush into the lineup in dime packages. Rush, who was signed off of the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad three weeks ago, got his first NFL action after being a fifth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts.
Against the Titans, Rush played 30 defensive snaps in a 20-16 win and nearly had the game-sealing interception late against rookie quarterback Will Levis. Those 30 snaps showed the Steelers what Rush can bring to the table moving forward, which was really playing for head coach Mike Tomlin.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday during his weekly press conference, Tomlin praised Rush for showing the abilities that the Steelers liked quite a bit in the pre-draft process. Rush got most of his opportunities due to the Steelers moving veteran Patrick Peterson to safety in certain packages.
“It was really about a guy like D-Rush getting an opportunity, and guys like [Damontae] Kazee and Keanu Neal playing every down. And so, I like the work, that those every-down guys did. It was really good to get D-Rush in the fold and for him to show that he was capable of executing assignments,” Tomlin said to reporters, according to video via Steelers.com. “It would have been nice for him to make that splash play at the end, but appreciative of his readiness and his display of capabilities.
“And now we get an opportunity to move forward. Man, it’s a growth opportunity.”
Rush probably played a bit more than expected, but the Steelers liked what they saw from the South Carolina product. Though he graded out at just a 50.2 overall from Pro Football Focus, including a 60.0 in run defense and a 50.4 in coverage, his grade from PFF would have been even higher if he came down with the interception from Levis late in the game. He made a great read to jump the route over the middle in the red zone, nearly putting the game away.
Though it is just a small sample size, Thursday night’s performance from Rush was a promising one, especially at a position of need for the Black and Gold. Rookie Joey Porter Jr. has already developed into a starter and looks like a legitimate lockdown corner. Maybe Rush is the next rookie who comes along nicely and continues to push for more playing time.
The Steelers liked him quite a bit coming out of South Carolina and jumped at the chance to get their hands on him off the Chiefs’ practice squad. He’s in the fold now, and more playing time could be on the horizon.
