Player: CB Darius Rush
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The second-year cornerback is looking to make a bigger impact in 2023. In his first full season with the Steelers, Darius Rush has already garnered attention during OTAs. That’s easier to do for a height-weight-speed guy like Rush playing in shorts, granted. But there are roles available, and he’s open to moving around. This time, he has a full offseason, not limited to an in-season menu.
Ask Steelers fans about veteran starting CB Donte Jackson and their eyes are likely to glaze over. Casually mention Cory Trice Jr. or Darius Rush, however, and watch their mouths go. Because who doesn’t like a diamond in the rough who looks the part? That’s what these tall, young cornerbacks are, or hope to be.
And at least for Rush, he’s getting something of a head start. Trice is still rehabbing a knee injury, so Rush is getting more of the choicest reps available. And he’s garnered attention from a number of beat writers observing his play-making during OTAs.
I should caution that observations in these settings are highly limited and favor those with natural gifts. Darius Rush is 6-2 and has sub-4-4 speed. If he doesn’t look good in shorts, then he’s not going to look good in pads. James Pierre always drew buzz around this time of year as well.
But this is a cornerback room that lost a lot of constituents from a year ago. behind Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson, things are pretty wide open. And Rush is willing to play any secondary position that gets him on the field. If it means working in the slot, he is prepared to do that.
The “concern” with Rush, of course, is the fact that he cycled through three teams as a rookie. Drafted in the fifth round by the Indianapolis Colts, he missed the final roster cuts. The Kansas City Chiefs claimed him off waivers, but waived him two weeks later, re-signing him to the practice squad. Pittsburgh signed him from there in mid-October. Once on the 53-man roster, to nobody’s surprise, Rush says the coaches gave him a very limited menu of plays.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
