Steelers Place Promising Young Cornerback on Waivers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived promising young cornerback Darius Rush the team announced on Tuesday.

Rush, 24, first joined the Steelers last Oct. 18, when the Steelers signed him from the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. He played in three games last season for the Steelers, serving as the team’s Dime cornerback and playing on special teams.

When the Steelers did not re-sign veteran backup James Pierre this season, it appeared that Rush had passed him in the pecking order, but after two games, the Steelers brought Pierre back into the fold and Rush was a healthy scratch for each of the last two games after playing 19 snaps of special teams over the first two weeks.

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Darius Rush warms up for a preseason game against the Detroit Lions on Aug. 24, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

His release came despite that top backup cornerback Cory Trice Jr. is on the injured reserve and will miss at least three more games with a hamstring injury. The 6-foot-2, 198-pound cornerback could stick with the team on the practice squad if he clears waivers.

Rush seemed to understand that earning a role on special teams was critical to his spot on the 53-man roster.

“What I have on special teams is really going out there and, and showcasing what I can do whether it’s the gunner squad, jammer squad, kick-off or kick-off or turn being a front line guy or anything like that, you know, so just to go out there and that’s another way to carve my name in this organization,” Rush said this spring.

But the Steelers seem to prefer the abilities of Pierre in that area. They also made Thomas Graham Jr. active from the practice squad and used Terrell Edmunds as a Dime defender with Rush scratched.

In addition to releasing Rush, the Steelers also waived safety Jalen Elliott on Tuesday, creating two vacant spots on their 53-man active roster. No corresponding transactions were announced.