CB Darius Rush not in uniform vs. Rams days after signing with Steelers
Four days after signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Darius Rush was not in uniform for Sunday’s game at the Los Angeles Rams.
A rookie cornerback, Rush was signed off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad Wednesday. Though he had said he did not expect to have a role on the defense this season, Rush did expect to play special teams for the Steelers.
A fifth-round pick, Rush is seen as a longterm developmental prospect. He replaced veteran Desmond King on the 53-man roster; King had played one snap on defense all season.
Offensive tackle Dylan Cook and defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko were the lone healthy scratches for the Steelers. Mason Rudolph was designated as the No. 3 “emergency” quarterback.
Starting wide receiver Diontae Johnson was active for the first time since Week 1, when he suffered a hamstring injury. Johnson was activated off the injured reserve list this week.
Trio at RB for Rams
The Rams’ list of inactives indicates they are going with a running backs trio of Royce Freeman, Darrell Henderson and Zach Evans. A six-year NFL veteran, Freeman was signed off the practice squad this week. Henderson, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Rams two years ago but went unsigned by an NFL team this past offseason, was signed to the Rams’ practice squad this week. Los Angeles elevated him to the gameday roster Sunday.
Evans is a rookie sixth-round pick who has four career carries in two NFL regular-season games.
Los Angeles is resorting to such alternatives at running back because of injuries to their unit. Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers went on the injured reserve list this week.
Another veteran running back signed this week, Myles Gaskin, was among the Rams’ inactives. Defensive lineman Larrell Murchison is out because of a knee injury.
Outside linebacker Nick Hampton and offensive linemen Zach Thomas and Warren McClendon were healthy scratches for Los Angeles.
The Rams did not designate a No. 3 emergency quarterback.
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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