Today is the day we’ve long been waiting for. The Pittsburgh Steelers are scheduled to report to St. Vincent College in Latrobe Pa., to starting training camp and officially kick off the 2023 season.
For the last several weeks, we have been waiting in eager anticipation to see how the players will represent themselves when the pads come on, especially the new free agent acquisitions and rookies added to the team this offseason. One veteran free agent signing, CB Patrick Peterson, spoke with former Steelers CB Bryant McFadden on the All Things Covered podcast and talked about the guys he is most looking forward to seeing in training camp.
Having mentioned WRs Calvin Austin III and George Pickens, Peterson spent some time talking about two fellow cornerbacks sharing the room with him: rookies Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr.
“I mean, Joey Porter Jr. has been doing nothing but great things in camp,” Peterson said on All Things Covered. “Trice. Those two big corners have been doing outstanding work throughout spring ball. So, I’m excited to see how those guys react when the bullets are really live… when it’s for real football now because soccer practice is over. We can’t have mistakes that we’ve had because the mistakes can cost us. So, I’m excited to see those guys take that next step heading into training camp.”
Peterson has been a mentor for Porter and Trice since they were drafted in the spring, answering questions as they came up during OTAs and mandatory minicamp as well as helping on the field going through drills and improving technique. Peterson has sung the rookie cornerbacks’ praises previously, calling them the “new-day-and-age CBs” who have great physical traits as well as the willingness to learn.
Both Porter and Trice have looked the part from what we heard coming out of spring ball, fitting in well despite being in their first NFL season. However, as Peterson said on the podcast, the level of play is getting ramped up now that the pads are on, and you must learn when the bullets are live. It may be a bit of a trial-by-fire process for both rookies as they take their expected lumps in training camp practices as well as in the preseason. Still, Peterson believes that they are both up for the task and is excited to see how they react now that real football is finally here.
