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Steelers A-Z: Midseason acquisition Darius Rush looks to move into cornerback role

Posted on by darion

Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is going through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing their prospects for the 2024 season. The breakdown will be in alphabetical order, with at least two players featured each day between June 14 and July 25. Contract data courtesy of spotrac.com.

CB Darius Rush

Experience/age: Three games of NFL experience entering second season/24

Contract Status: If he makes the team, his cap hit will be $915,000.

Past: Acquiring two tall outside linebackers wasn’t enough for the Steelers in 2023. They added a third during the season when they signed Rush from the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad.

Drafted in the fifth round by the Indianapolis Colts in 2023, Rush was waived in late August and acquired off waivers by Kansas City. The Chiefs later released Rush and placed him on their practice squad until the Steelers signed him to the 53-man roster in October.

The Steelers brought Rush into a big role against Tennessee on November 2. Playing in 30 snaps, Rush had three tackles and one interception, which proved to be the highlight of Rush’s rookie season.

Rush appeared in just the next two games and played just nine defensive snaps. He was inactive for the final four games of the regular season and the playoff loss to Buffalo.

Forecasts for 2024: With his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame, Rush is a potential cornerback prospect, joining Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice at cornerback, who are entering their second seasons.

Rush will try to use the entire offseason to learn the Steelers defense and earn a roster spot in training camp. While his size suggests he’s suited to play outside, Rush played 18 snaps in the slot against the Titans last season and could get a chance to play there as the Steelers search for a viable nickel cornerback.

Rush and Trice, a seventh-round pick who sat out his rookie season, could be competing for the same roster spot. Porter and Donte Jackson will start on the outside, and the Steelers have a handful of other cornerbacks on their roster this offseason.

With Cameron Sutton suspended for the first half of the season, Rush will have to face one less competitor for a spot on the roster.

Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade of covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at [email protected].