When you’re on a new team in a new league, you’re looking for some familiar faces. And while cornerbacks Cory Trice Jr. and Joey Porter Jr. didn’t know each other well in college, they’re quickly leaning on each other as they figure out the NFL thing together.
Speaking with reporters following Saturday’s rookie minicamp practice, Trice said he and Porter have quickly become friends.
“He’s definitely a great guy, man,” Trice said via Steelers.com. “We just keep chopping it up off the field and keep trying to make each other be better.”
It helps that not only are Trice and Porter rookie corners but they have similar profiles, too. Big, long, and physical press cornerbacks with good athletic testing. Our Owen Straley has noticed the differences in their game, Trice being a bit more developed in off coverage and more aggressive at the catchpoint, but Pittsburgh is quickly developing a “type” at corner and this year’s draft class affirmed it.
Reporters at practice noticed Trice’s #27 and Porter’s #24 were nearly glued to the hip over the first two days.
“We’re just continuing learning from each other,” Trice said. “Continue trying to make each other better and just keep perfecting our craft.”
Cameras caught the same sentiment, the two right behind each other in drills.
The biggest difference between the two might be expectations. Porter was a second-round pick and those players are expected to see the field right away. There will likely be a home for him in sub-packages come Week One. While Trice is far more talented than a typical seventh-round pick, it’ll be harder for him to see the field defensively out of the gate. Still, he has intriguing sub-package value as a potential answer to the league’s flex tight ends, guys like Baltimore’s Mark Andrews, and Trice’s role could expand throughout the season.
If not this year, the two might be seeing the field reguarly in 2024. Of the team’s non-rookie corners, only Patrick Peterson is under contract past this season. Levi Wallace, Ahkello Witherspoon, James Pierre, and Chandon Sullivan are all set to hit free agency next year while Peterson is no lock to be part of the roster this time next season. If Porter and Trice progress well, they might not just be learning from each other next season. They might be lining up opposite each other.
