The Steelers are now in Latrobe at Saint Vincent College for the 2023 installment of training camp. They are coming off of a 9-8 season during which they broke in their new quarterback, Kenny Pickett, finishing the year strong by winning seven of their last nine but coming up short of the postseason.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year.
From the first day of training camp to the last, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered, including several battles for starting roles. Which veterans might be vulnerable to release? Who are the sleepers who will emerge in camp and make a run at ta roster spot? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: How serious is CB Cory Trice Jr.’s injury?
It’s not often that fans get this excited about a seventh-round pick, but the Steelers faithful have certainly been fired up about the potential of Cory Trice Jr., the tall, athletic cornerback out of Purdue. According to reports, the only reason teams had him so far down their draft boards was due to medical concerns.
After reportedly having a good spring in OTAs and minicamp, he was working his way through the first week of training camp when the rookie went down with a lower body injury on his right side, ultimately being carted off the field in a good deal of pain.
Head coach Mike Tomlin described the injury as non-contact after practice and at the time said that he had no further information about the severity. But those who witnessed the incident or its aftermath couldn’t have felt good about what they saw.
For a late-round pick, Trice had a lot of momentum in terms of the likelihood of his making the team. Though there wasn’t a great chance of his logging a lot of defensive snaps in 2023, there were—and still are—hopes that he can develop into a significant contributor.
For now, his project is getting back on the field, however long that takes. Until we know the severity of the injury we won’t know the timetable for his return. Will he miss a short period of time? Should we expect to wait until next training camp before we see him on the field again?
For the moment, all of that is up in the air until we hear more. There’s a good chance that it won’t be long before we hear something—perhaps the news even broke overnight just before this was set to run, making me look behind. But whenever the news comes out, let’s hope it’s good.
