Player: CB Darius Rush
Stock Value: Sold
Reasoning: For no apparent reason, the Steelers waived second-year CB Darius Rush yesterday. A healthy scratch Sunday in Indianapolis, he can re-sign to the practice squad if he clears waivers. The Steelers added the 2023 fifth-round pick last October, hoping to unlock his potential. Considering the circumstances, it doesn’t appear they now believe they can do that—or perhaps that there is much potential to unlock.
And another one bites the dust. While the Steelers didn’t draft him, Darius Rush fit the mold of the “Avatar” cornerbacks who constitute their preferred profile for the position. Basically, long, tall, strong guys who can run, like Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr.
The Steelers drafted Porter in the second round in 2023, Trice in the seventh. Porter emerged as a rookie starter, but Trice has battled injury yet earned a primary backup job this year. Even with Trice currently on the Reserve/Injured List, however, the Steelers still waived Rush.
The Steelers did bring back James Pierre, who now appears to be their top backup cornerback until Trice returns. But they were willing to let him leave in the offseason, and presumably re-signed him for special teams. Darius Rush drew some early buzz in OTAs, but he faded in training camp and became just a body.
On the whole, it’s no loss, and as I mentioned, they could re-sign him to the practice squad. If Rush clears waivers, which I would expect him to, the Steelers can continue to try to develop him. But they obviously felt like he couldn’t really help them right now, even with unremarkable depth at outside cornerback.
Darius Rush is 6-2, 198 pounds and runs a sub-4.4 40-yard dash. He is a prototype from a physical and athletic perspective, yet three teams have waived him in 18 months. Perhaps the Kansas City Chiefs pursue him; the Steelers signed him off their practice squad last year.
The Steelers will still be without Cory Trice for at least three more games, which tests their depth. Behind Joey Porter and Donte Jackson, Pierre is their only outside-capable cornerback on the 53-man roster. But they did just sign former first-round pick C.J. Henderson, who is on the practice squad. So is this a good sign for him?
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.
