Like Darius Rush, the Pittsburgh Steelers are right where we are: sitting at home being mad. Although they managed to make the playoffs in 2023, they lost in the first round. It has now been seven years without a postseason victory, the longest drought in franchise history. The question is what to do next.
The first step is always taking stock of what happened and what is left. That’s part of the exit meeting process, in which coaches meet with each player. They discuss the season and their expectations moving forward—and potentially their role within it.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between head coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2023 season.
Player: Darius Rush
Position: Cornerback
Experience: 1 Year
A 2023 fifth-round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts, Darius Rush arrived in Pittsburgh in a roundabout fashion. He failed to make the Colts’ roster, subsequently claimed by the Kansas City Chiefs. Weeks later, they then released him, successfully signing him to their practice squad. There he remained for a month until the Steelers signed him to their 53-man roster, replacing veteran Desmond King II.
King failed to establish a role for himself in the Steelers’ defense, though he later managed to do so elsewhere. He eventually re-signed with his former team, the Houston Texans, logging 311 snaps in seven games.
Rush played all 39 defensive snaps on the season, 30 of which came in his NFL debut. He played 41 percent of the snaps in the win against the Tennessee Titans but literally dropped the ball. He had an opportunity to make a game-sealing interception but could not hold on. Instead, ILB Kwon Alexander did what he couldn’t do a couple of plays later.
Quite frankly, that is the most significant moment of Rush’s rookie season. He made three tackles in that game, which is the entirety of his NFL stat line thus far. He played nine defensive snaps later against the Cincinnati Bengals without registering a statistic. Two weeks later, he played 17 snaps on special teams against the New England Patriots. He remained inactive for the final five games of the year, including the playoffs.
Joining a team mid-season is difficult for any player, of course, let alone a rookie who is already onto his third team. The Steelers aren’t writing him off going into Year Two by any means. He will have the opportunity to benefit from a full offseason going into 2024, but he is still a long shot. While they hope for him to earn a contributing role, they are not planning their offseason accordingly.
