Steelers Sign Explosive Outside Linebacker for 2025
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed outside linebacker Thomas Rush for a future contract for the 2025 season, the team announced on Tuesday.
Rush spent each of the last two seasons on the practice squad of the Tennessee Titans, without playing in a regular season game. He did play in six preseason games over the last two seasons with the Titans, recording one tackle in 2024 and four tackles with one coming for a loss in 2023.
A 6-foot-3, 251-pound edge rusher, Rush is slightly undersized for the position, but explosive, fitting a similar paradigm to Steelers backup outside linebacker Nick Herbig.
In pre-draft testing coming out of Minnesota in 2023, Rush posted a 4.57-second 40-yard dash, an impressive 10-foot-3 broad jump, 35.5-inch vertical and an elite 4.22-second shuttle run. His relative athletic score was a 9.07 out of a possible 10, with his closest comparable player listed as Denver Broncos All-Pro Nik Bonnito.
But that athleticism has never turned into elite production. In five seasons with the Golden Gophers, Rush’s highest sack total was 5.5 in his redshirt junior season in 2021. His next-highest was 1.5 as a redshirt senior in 2022.
Rush likely projects best as a special teamer at the NFL level. The Steelers have not yet re-signed outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon, who is an exclusive rights free agent.
In addition to Rush, the Steelers signed two other outside linebackers to future contracts for 2025, bringing back Julius Welshof and Eku Leota from the practice squad on Tuesday.
They also signed offensive lineman Dylan Cook, defensive tackle Domenique Davis, linebacker Devin Harper, running back Evan Hull, defensive back D’Shawn Jamison, wide receiver Brandon Johnson, guard Steven Jones, wide receiver Lance McCutcheon, defensive back Kyler McMichael, guard Doug Nester, running back Aaron Shampklin, defensive tackle Jacob Slade, quarterback Skylar Thompson, and defensive back to Joshuah Bledsoe.
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