Steelers Now
A former cornerback of the Pittsburgh Steelers is joining one of their AFC North rivals.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Darius Rush is heading back to the AFC North, signing with the Cleveland Browns, the team announced.
Rush, 25, spent parts of the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Steelers before he was waived on Oct. 1. During that span, he played in three games, serving as the team’s Dime cornerback and playing on special teams.
When Pittsburgh did not re-sign veteran backup James Pierre, it appeared that Rush had passed him in the pecking order. But after two games, Pierre was brought 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.
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 showcasing what I can do, whether it’s the gunner squad, jammer squad, kick-off, kick-off return, 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.
However, the Steelers seemed to prefer the abilities of Pierre in that area. Rush recorded just three tackles and one pass defensed in three games.
Rush began his professional career as a fifth-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he was cut coming out of training camp. He was then claimed off waivers by the Chiefs, released by Kansas City and added to the practice squad, where Pittsburgh plucked him away.
A native of Kingstree, South Carolina, Rush played college football at the University of South Carolina. There he racked up 75 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, 15 passes defensed and three interceptions from 2019-22.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Pittsburgh Steelers Cornerback Joins AFC North Rival
