Do either Darius Rush or Cory Trice Jr. have a future in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ secondary? That’s impossible to say, but far more players in their positions fail than succeed. Both are 2023 late-round draft picks, the former already on his third team, the latter coming off a major injury. How many stories with these early chapters conclude with a happy ending?
Guys like Rush and Trice can’t worry about long odds, of course. They can only control what’s in front of them and what they do with their opportunities. But Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes Rush is in better position to do so than Trice. It’s a question I’ve posed before myself.
“I do think they like him”, he said of Darius Rush on the Chipped Ham and Football podcast yesterday. He added, “I did think he made some plays in OTAs and minicamp, for whatever that’s worth. … I like the talent, I like the potential for opportunity for Rush, and I think he’s somebody who’s got a better chance of breaking out than, say, Cory Trice [Jr.]”.
The Steelers only picked up Rush, a fifth-round pick, in the middle of the season, and he barely played. Obviously, he didn’t have the benefit of spending the offseason learning the defense, an opportunity he now has. But Trice is still working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered in training camp last year. He missed quite a bit on the practice field, even if he was there in the classroom. But neither of them have a clear path to playing time this year, anyway.
“They grabbed him last year off of waivers and threw him out there once or twice”, Batko said of Rush. “He probably wasn’t quite ready for the moment. This would probably be contingent on Donte Jackson faltering at outside corner for Rush to get out there”.
The Steelers acquired Jackson via trade to pair with Joey Porter Jr. at outside cornerback. More recently, they signed Cameron Sutton to play in the slot, so both Darius Rush and Cory Trice Jr. are looking at depth roles. At best, they might manage a dime role or other situational playing time.
That is, unless either of them can live up to their talent and show up on the practice field. Batko notes that Rush did make plays during spring practices. Trice only participated on a limited basis due to his rehab, but he could be full-contact to open camp.
I do think it’s reasonable, as of right now, to suggest that Rush has a better chance of contributing than Trice. But we still have to get through training camp and the preseason, so there is plenty of ground to cover. If Trice is able to get going in Latrobe, then he can bridge that gap with some timely playmaking.
But what about Donte Jackson and Cameron Sutton? Rush is more capable of moving around than Trice, who may be bound to play exclusively outside. But while Jackson isn’t a Pro Bowler, he is a solid veteran. It’s hard to see a guy like Rush actually beating him out for a job.
