Tag: Darius Rush

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin looking for a leap from young CBs

The Steelers have some quality young cornerbacks on the roster.

The offseason has been busy for the Pittsburgh Steelers in an attempt to turn over a solid chunk of the roster. One position where there were plenty of changes is at cornerback. Out are Patrick Peterson, Levi Wallace, Chandon Sullivan and Elijah Riley.

But as we’ve already pointed out, the Steelers might have enough cornerbacks on the roster already and don’t need to target one early in the 2024 NFL draft. Two guys in particular we are excited to see are Cory Trice Jr. and Darius Rush.

On Monday, head coach Mike Tomlin talked about those two guys and said he expected a significant step for them in their second seasons.

“They’re going into their second year,” Tomlin said. “We expect guys going into their second year to make a significant step.”

If the Steelers have confidence in Trice and Rush, in addition to new cornerback Donte Jackson, they might not need to spend a top pick on a starter or even a slot cornerback.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Colts’ report card: Grading the 2023 rookie class

Handing out some grades for the Colts’ 2023 rookie class.

The Indianapolis Colts added a ton of young talent in the 2023 NFL draft, selecting a franchise-record 12 selections.

2023 was a mixed bag for this rookie class as it showed promise but injuries limited a number of picks’ impact in year one.

Here, we are going to discuss the Colts rookies who played and contributed to the team in 2023.

Steelers work out handful of free agent cornerbacks

The Steelers continue to look for answers at cornerback this season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced they had released cornerback Desmond King and in his place signed cornerback Darius Rush off of the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. In addition, the Steelers also worked out four more free-agent cornerbacks.

The list of cornerbacks included former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Don Gardner, veteran BoPete Keys who last played for the Cleveland Browns, former sixth-round pick Rachad Wildgoose and rookie Rezjohn Wright. Does this mean the Steelers are still in the market for another cornerback or will they be satisfied with just adding Rush?

In all likelihood, if the Steelers sign any of these free agents, it will simply be to add to the practice squad.

The Steelers secondary had been inconsistent all season. Despite the addition of Patrick Peterson and Chandrick Sullivan, this group has taken a step back from last season. Hopefully the team will turn to rookie Joey Porter Jr. soon to help add a spark to the defense down the stretch.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers expected to sign DB Darius Rush from Chiefs’ practice squad

The #Chiefs may lose a key member of their practice squad as the #Steelers look to bolster their depth in the defensive backfield.

The Kansas City Chiefs may be without a key member of their practice squad while they prepare for their Week 7 tilt against the Los Angeles Chargers as defensive back Darius Rush is expected to be signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rush, a rookie 2023 fifth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts, was a casualty of training camp cuts back in August and was quickly snatched up by the Chiefs via the NFL’s waiver system.

After initially making Kansas City’s 53-man roster, Rush was waived and re-signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad on September 16. The rookie defensive back was considered a valuable prospect when he was initially claimed by Kansas City and seemed to have upside on special teams.

A former South Carolina Gamecock, Rush should have no problem pushing for playing time in Pittsburgh after the Steelers’ release of Desmond King and is a player to watch in the AFC North over the next few weeks.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1]

Report: Steelers to sign rookie CB Darius Rush off Chiefs’ practice squad

The Steelers’ secondary is terrible, and the hope is that shuffling things around will change things.

There’s no sugarcoating it. The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ secondary is terrible, and the hope is that shuffling things around will change things. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported two future moves: Cornerback Desmond King is to be cut or traded, and rookie Darius Rush signed from the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad.

The 6-foot-2 Rush, claimed off waivers by the Chiefs after the Indianapolis Colts cut him on August 30, has never played a single regular season down in the NFL.

Rush turned heads at the NFL Combine with his blazing-fast 4.36 40-yard time, which was good for T-4. Also on the list were soon-to-be Steelers corners Joey Porter Jr. (T-10, 4.46) and Cory Trice Jr. (T-11, 4.47).

In his final two seasons at South Carolina, Rush logged three interceptions, 15 pass breakups, one sack and a forced fumble.

Pittsburgh had an interest in Rush leading up to the NFL draft, hosting him on a top-30 visit, so signing him should come as no surprise.

Pittsburgh’s defense enters Sunday’s battle with the 3-3 Los Angeles Rams ranked 25th in passing yards (245 passing yards per game, 271 in the last three matchups, 302 on the road) and touchdowns allowed through six weeks. Eight of their opponents’ 11 touchdowns have come through the air.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Why the Colts parted ways with Darius Rush at roster cuts

Chris Ballard had one reason why the Colts waived Darius Rush at roster cuts.

The Indianapolis Colts are going into the regular season with an extremely young cornerback room, one that won’t be featuring one of their fifth-round picks from the 2023 NFL draft.

In a mildly shocking move, the Colts wound up waiving fifth-round pick Darius Rush as a part of the moves to get the roster to 53 players before Tuesday’s deadline. Meanwhile, they opted to keep seventh-round pick Jaylon Jones.

When asked what went into cutting Rush, general manager Chris Ballard’s answer was pretty simple.

“That’s a good question, that was hard. Jaylon Jones,” Ballard said Wednesday of the reason that led the Colts to make that decision.

Jones was one of the true standouts for the Colts throughout training camp and the preseason. He worked his way up the depth chart while others in the room dealt with injuries, and he showed upside on both defense and special teams. If they had to choose one over the other, keeping Jones was the right call.

Physically, Rush fit the exact profile the Colts like in their cornerbacks. He’s physical, lengthy and has elite speed. But he struggled with consistent mirroring and made a poor habit of biting on double moves.

In theory, the Colts could have kept both players, but Ballard believes the roster mechanics would have made that difficult.

It became more about wanting other players more than they wanted to keep Rush, which is the harsh reality of life in the NFL.

“We’d had to of kept seven corners, so it would have been tough. It would have been tough. Kenny Moore (II) – we think has had a great camp. Tony Brown – I love Tony. Let me just make this known. I love Tony Brown. That dude competes. He’s a great teammate. He’s all-in,” Ballard said. “Then you have (Darrell) Baker (Jr.). We have Dallis (Flowers) – all these guys that have all come in and played really good football and have really good upside. And they’re all young. JuJu (Brents) is coming along.”

The emergence of Baker and Flowers, along with Brown’s abilities on special teams, made the room very crowded throughout camp and the preseason. Rush quickly found a new home, though, being claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Look, it just happened to be a group that’s young and talented. Nothing against Darius (Rush) – wish him the best. I know he was claimed. Wish him the best. I went back and forth with him earlier about it. He’s very talented, but it was a good group.”

The Colts are rolling with a young cornerback room, and it will be an interesting experiment to see down the road if the front office was correct in making this move.

Two Colts players claimed off waivers

Darius Rush and Khalid Kareem were the only Colts players claimed off waivers.

A pair of Indianapolis Colts players who were waived during final roster cuts were claimed by other teams on the waiver wire Wednesday.

Though the Colts parted ways with over 30 players to get the roster down to 53 during final cuts, rookie cornerback Darius Rush and defensive end Khalid Kareem were the only players claimed.

Rush, a fifth-round pick in April’s draft, was a surprise cut for the Colts. He was claimed by the Kansas City Chiefs after a rocky preseason. General manager Chris Ballard said the decision ultimately came down to Rush or fellow draft pick Jaylon Jones, and the Colts decided to go with the latter.

“That’s a good question, that was hard. Jaylon Jones,” Ballard said of why Rush was cut.

Kareem was a standout for the Colts during the preseason, but it was ultimately a pretty crowded room to break into. He led the team with 3.0 sacks, four quarterback hits and four tackles for loss during the preseason.

He was claimed by the Chicago Bears.

Chiefs claimed former Colts DB Darius Rush

Kansas City #Chiefs claimed former #Colts defensive back Darius Rush after being waived by Indianapolis on Tuesday. | from: @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to add another defensive back to their young secondary.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs have claimed former Indianapolis Colts defensive back Darius Rush.

Rush was drafted by the Colts in the fifth round and 138th overall at this year’s NFL Draft after four years at South Carolina. He only spent training camp and the preseason with Indianapolis before being waived Tuesday before the roster cuts deadline.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, Rush was a standout player during his time with the Gamecocks. In 2022, as a redshirt senior, Rush had 38 tackles with seven passes broken up, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.

This move looks like a potential steal for Kansas City, as Rush was a surprise release during Tuesday’s roster trimmings around the league. Former Chiefs defensive back Kahlef Hailassie was picked up around the same time by the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1]

7 players Giants should consider adding following cutdown day

Cutdown day has come and gone across the NFL and the New York Giants should considering claiming or signing these seven available players.

More than 1,100 players were released, cut or waived on Tuesday as teams trimmed their roster to the required 53 men. Now the race is on to claim or sign those who are available, effectively rounding out rosters ahead of the regular season.

The New York Giants put in seven waiver claims a year ago and were awarded multiple players. General manager Joe Schoen certainly isn’t going to sit on his hands this time around, so expect Big Blue to be active.

Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will be on the hunt for anyone they believe will help improve their roster.

With that in mind, here’s a look at seven players the Giants should consider claiming or signing on Wednesday.

7 recently cut players the Bears should consider adding

Whether it’s another backup quarterback or help at punt returner, here are a few players the Bears should consider adding

The Chicago Bears 2023 initial roster was finally set on Tuesday afternoon as general manager Ryan Poles made the necessary cuts to get the team down to 53 players. It likely won’t stay that way for long, however.

Like the Bears, the rest of the NFL trimmed their rosters down, with hundreds of players hitting the waiver wire, able to be claimed and brought onto a new team. Chicago has top priority, though, meaning they will automatically get any player they put a claim on who passes through waivers.

Poles was busy this time last year, as the Bears claimed a total of seven players at various positions. With top priority, will they match or exceed that number? Given some of the cuts and releases that have been made that include fairly high-profile players, they could be busy. Teams have until 11 a.m. CT on Wednesday to submit claims.

Here are a few names the Bears should consider who have either hit the waiver wire or become free agents within the last couple of days.