90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Mark Robinson, Darius Rush, Josiah Scott

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 offseason workouts ended in mid-June. Next up is the team’s annual training camp, which begins at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe in late July. Leading up to the Steelers’ training camp, we’ll be doing a series of posts looking at the team’s offseason roster, three players at a time. This Steelers roster preview, which also includes projections for each player, will be sorted alphabetically by last name for easy followability. This series is expected to include more than 90 players this year, as the team will be able to bring a total of 91 players with them during the offseason due to the team’s international designation being allowed.

The next players we will feature before the Steelers’ 2024 training camp are Mark Robinson, Darius Rush and Josiah Scott.

ILB Mark Robinson: The Steelers selected Robinson in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Mississippi, and he has been on the team’s 53-man roster since then. Despite this, Robinson has only managed to log a total of 217 defensive snaps in his first two NFL seasons. Most of those snaps came last season and were necessary mainly due to the Steelers’ many injuries at the inside linebacker position. Robinson has also logged a total of 336 special teams snaps since his selection, most of which also came last season.

In 2023, including the Steelers’ one playoff game, Robinson recorded 30 total tackles, one for loss, one sack, one quarterback hit and one forced fumble. He also had five total special teams tackles in 2023. Pro Football Focus gave Robinson a defensive grade of 51.1 last season, which was heavily influenced by his coverage grade of 33.8. Robinson allowed seven receptions for 88 yards and one touchdown last season.

Outlook: If the Steelers hadn’t had multiple injuries at the inside linebacker position in 2023, one has to wonder how many snaps Robinson would have played on defense. After being added to the 53-man roster, he was buried in the rankings behind Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Kwon Alexander, and even Mykal Walker. Still, Robinson was a key special teams player in 2023, and that carries some weight.

The Steelers signed ILB Patrick Queen in the offseason, and he is expected to be an every-down player. Additionally, Roberts and Holcomb, if healthy, are both expected to play defensive backs in 2024. The Steelers selected ILB Payton Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and he will also be on the 53-man roster. That’s four inside linebackers that will be on the 53-man roster. If that does happen, Robinson would likely have to be added to the roster as a fifth and key special teams player.

All in all, Robinson is probably not a sure-fire candidate for the 53-man roster this summer. While Robinson is a good downhill player, the former college running back turned inside linebacker still has some development to do on defense. Hopefully we’ll see that during the preseason. If Robinson does ultimately make the 53-man roster, it’s hard to imagine him getting much playing time on defense during the regular season unless he suffers multiple injuries like he did last season.

CB Darius Rush: The Indianapolis Colts selected Rush in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of South Carolina. After failing to make the Colts’ 53-man roster to begin the 2023 regular season, Rush was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad. Rush remained on the Chiefs’ practice squad until mid-October last season, when the Steelers signed him to their 53-man roster.

After arriving in Pittsburgh, Rush played in and played in three regular season games. In those three games, he only played 39 defensive snaps, with 20 more on special teams. Thirty of those defensive snaps came against the Tennessee Titans. In total, Rush recorded just three tackles and one pass defense in his limited playing time. He was used primarily as a sub-package player on defense, playing a variety of positions.

Outlook: With the Steelers expected to have Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson as their two starting cornerbacks in 2023, Rush is likely to be one of several players on the offseason roster who will compete for the backup spots behind the two. Rush is best suited to playing on the outside due to his length, so it’s hard to imagine him playing a role in the battle for the slot position.

Rush struggled during the preseason with the Colts last year due to limited playing time. And even though he played a limited number of snaps during the regular season with the Steelers last year, Rush allowed three receptions for 37 yards in coverage and four total targets. Rush also failed to make an impact in his limited special teams snaps last season.

This year, Rush will have his hands full in training camp when it comes to making the 53-man roster, and improving his play on special teams, especially as a gunner and jammer on the punt units, would certainly help him overall.

Rush is expected to get a lot of playing time in this year’s preseason games. If that’s the case, his performance on defense and special teams will be something to watch closely. On the surface, and before training camp begins, it feels like Rush is more likely to be on the inside of the roster bubble than outside of it. Still, he probably shouldn’t be considered a sure thing as we sit here in the middle of July.

CB Josiah Scott: Scott was selected in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars out of Michigan State and played six games for them as a rookie, finishing the year with 11 tackles. In May 2021, he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent two seasons, playing on a mix of defense and special teams.

After failing to make the Eagles’ 53-man roster in 2023, Scott was signed to the Steelers’ practice squad. However, an unspecified injury landed Scott on the Steelers’ practice squad reserve/injured list in mid-September. The Eagles signed Scott to their 53-man roster in mid-October. After about a month and a half, Scott was released by the Eagles and signed to their practice squad.

Scott played in four games for the Eagles in 2023, recording two total tackles in 17 defensive snaps and 43 more on special teams. Most of those defensive snaps with the Eagles in 2023 came as a slot cornerback, a position he has primarily played since entering the NFL.

In his NFL career, Scott has recorded 54 total tackles, four for loss, two interceptions, one sack, eight passes defensed and one quarterback hit. The Steelers signed Scott to a reserve/future contract in January and he was with the team throughout the offseason.

Outlook: With veteran CB Cameron Sutton suspended for the first eight games of the 2024 regular season, Scott will be one of the few cornerbacks on the roster competing for the role of the team’s primary nickel option in training camp. Scott reportedly skated as the first-team nickel in early spring and prior to Sutton’s signing in early June. Because of this, it will be interesting to see if Scott is the favorite for the nickel cornerback job once training camp begins.

Scott has played 575 defensive games in the NFL during the regular season and 370 more on special teams. In short, he has experience. Plus, the Steelers made sure to bring Scott back in the offseason after losing him to the Eagles last fall. They obviously like him.

All in all, Scott is a player on the Steelers’ offseason roster who probably hasn’t been talked about enough since his return in January. With Sutton locked up for the first half of the 2024 regular season and the other legitimate nickel cornerback options under contract being very inexperienced, Scott could very well be added to the 53-man roster as the primary nickel player.

Once training camp begins, Scott will certainly be a player to watch closely, and during preseason games as well. He should not be underestimated.

Previous posts in this series:

90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Montravius ​​Adams, Kyle Allen, Spencer Anderson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Grayland Arnold, Calvin Austin III, Anthony Averett
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Kalon Barnes, Tyler Beach, Keeanu Benton
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Beanie Bishop Jr., Chris Boswell, Marquez Callaway
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jack Colletto, Dylan Cook, Jacob Copeland
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – James Daniels, Daijun Edwards, DeShon Elliott
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jalen Elliott, Troy Fautanu, Breiden Fehoko
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Justin Fields, Joey Fisher, Dez Fitzpatrick
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Minkah Fitzpatrick, Zach Frazier, Pat Freiermuth
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Thomas Graham Jr., Devery Hamilton, Anderson Hardy
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Najee Harris, Nate Herbig, Nick Herbig
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cameron Heyward, Connor Heyward, Alex Highsmith
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cole Holcomb, Donte Jackson, Van Jefferson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jaray Jenkins, Kyron Johnson, Cameron Johnston
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Broderick Jones, Damontae Kazee, Miles Killebrew
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Christian Kuntz, DeMarvin Leal, Logan Lee
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Isaiahh Loudermilk, Dean Lowry, Jonathan Marshall
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Ryan McCollum, Mason McCormick, Nate Meadors
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Scotty Miller, Jeremiah Moon, Dan Moore Jr.
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Tyler Murray, Larry Ogunjobi, Cordarrelle Patterson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – David Perales, La’Mical Perine, George Pickens
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Joey Porter Jr., Willington Previlon, MyCole Pruitt
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Patrick Queen, John Rhys Plumlee, Elandon Roberts