Who has a better chance of contributing this season between Cory Trice Jr. and Darius Rush?
We’re talking about playing on the defensive side of the ball here, specifically. The Steelers have a pair of second-year cornerbacks eager to get ahead. They drafted Cory Trice Jr. in the seventh round, adding Darius Rush, a fifth-round pick, in-season.
Both of them have intriguing attributes. Rush is 6-2 and has 4.36-second speed. Trice isn’t quite that fast, but he is even taller and bigger. Trice flashed a year ago, while Rush has received positive comments during OTAs so far.
When considering this question, we obviously have to weigh the health factor. Trice is still recovering from a torn ACL, though he hopes to be cleared for contact by training camp. If he can reach that milestone in time, he should be competing on a relatively even playing field. He is already contributing in non-contact situations, but Rush is doing everything and reportedly looking solid.
Another factor to consider is who offers more versatility. The Steelers have Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson to play on the outside. Both Trice and Rush best profile as outside cornerbacks, but Rush probably stands the better chance of kicking inside. Could the coaches kick either Porter or, particularly, Jackson inside in some packages to allow one of the young guys to play outside?
Dedicated sports fans love to talk about players like Cory Trice Jr. and Darius Rush, at least while they’re relevant. Many such players prove to lack staying power, but enough of them succeed to keep the fire going for underdog stories.
Arguably, Rush has better positioning from a health and versatility standpoint to make headway this offseason. But the Steelers, I sense, really like Trice and want to get his size on the field, if possible. And he is also the one they drafted and have worked with, so that doesn’t hurt, either.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are past free agency and the draft and their roster for the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
