Darius Rush Not Upset About Missing Super Bowl Ring With Chiefs: 'I'll Win Mine One Day'

As a rookie, Darius Rush could have won a Super Bowl ring. But he doesn't complain about waiting. The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Rush off the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad last season, who won a Super Bowl a few months later.

Although Rush did not receive his ring, he did get his first NFL snaps in Pittsburgh. There weren't many, appearing in just three games and recording just 39 defensive snaps. A chance to get his feet wet, Rush didn't regret leaving Kansas City.

“Congratulations to those guys, of course,” Rush said, via Mike Prisuta of Steelers.com. “I’ll earn mine one day.”

Rush had an eventful rookie season. A fifth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts, he was the highest draft pick not to make his team's 53-man roster. The Chiefs claimed him off waivers, keeping him on their roster for two weeks before waiving him as well. They re-signed him to the practice squad.

Pittsburgh swooped in just before Halloween, signing Rush from the Chiefs' practice squad. Three weeks later, he saw his first NFL action, playing 30 snaps in a Week 9 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Most of that effort came in the form of dime packages and he had a chance to play hero but dropped a game-ending interception. LB Kwon Alexander finished the job moments later.

Playing time was scarce the rest of the season. Inactive most weeks, he saw nine snaps in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals while playing 17 on special teams in a short-week loss to the New England Patriots. Rush's season ended with three tackles and no rings. Instead, his former teammates pulled things together for a playoff run, with the Chiefs knocking off the 49ers in overtime to become back-to-back champions.

Rush will enter 2024 with a chance to stay on the roster from the start. Pittsburgh's depth at outside corner is unproven and is there for the taking. And there are opportunities on special teams, with last year's starting Gunners James Pierre and Miles Boykin now with new teams. Rush is open to whatever he can do.

“There’s always a role, you just have to earn it.”

He doesn't want a repeat of last year. Cut, claim, train the team. Three teams in one season, bouncing from apartment to apartment, playbook to playbook. Darius Rush seeks stability. He'll worry about a Lombardi later.