It might not have been the way he envisioned his rookie season going coming out of South Carolina, but Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Darius Rush is appreciative of the journey that was his rookie season.
A fifth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts at No. 158 overall, Rush was waived at the end of training camp and was quickly claimed by the Kansas City Chiefs. Rush spent the next three weeks on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster before being waived and then landing on the Chiefs’ practice squad in mid-September.
A month later, Rush was on the move again. The Pittsburgh Steelers signed him off the Chiefs’ practice squad to their 53-man roster on Oct. 18, adding another big, long cornerback to the room.
Rush saw just 39 snaps after joining the Steelers, with 30 coming in Week 9 against the Tennessee Titans and nine in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
He was mostly relegated to special teams play, seeing 20 special teams snaps with the Steelers. After being a standout at South Carolina, Rush’s rookie season was a bit of a humbling experience, but he’s happy to have gone through it.
“It was a journey,” Rush said of his rookie season, according to the Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo. “There were a lot of lessons learned, and I got to see how the operation of the NFL works.”
Rush did get to see how the NFL works, bouncing among three different teams before seemingly finding a home in Pittsburgh. It was rather surprising that the Colts waived him so quickly after spending a fifth-round pick on him, but it wasn’t at all shocking that the Chiefs pounced quickly.
With his size (6015, 196), Rush was one of the more intriguing cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft. In fact, he was widely considered a Steelers target on Day 2 with that size and his 32 3/4-inch arms, but ultimately the Steelers landed Joey Porter Jr. to open Round 2, and then later circled back to the position in the seventh round, taking Cory Trice Jr.
But once they had an opportunity t0 land Rush, they pounced.
Rush, to his credit, hit the ground running, seeing 30 snaps against the Titans in Week 9 last season, playing quite well in the process. He should have had a game-ending interception in the fourth quarter on the Titans’ final drive off of rookie QB Will Levis, but he let the ball go through his hands. That gave the Titans another opportunity before linebacker Kwon Alexander sealed the game with an interception near the goal line.
In those 30 snaps against the Titans, Rush showed he could handle sub-package football, lining up in the slot at times, providing some solid snaps in his first appearance in the Black and Gold. It wasn’t all good though as he had some misplays while trying to get onto the moving train.
His playing time dwindled late in the season, raising some concerns, especially with the issues the Steelers were having in the secondary. But for GM Omar Khan, the Steelers are expecting a Year 2 jump from Rush and are excited about his prospects.
With his size, speed and overall skill set, it would be a huge development for the Steelers if he became one a key depth piece in the secondary, strengthening a room in need.
Rush has the experience under his belt now, knows how things work in the NFL and within the Steelers’ scheme and should be better off for it. Hopefully that shows on the field in 2024.
