The Pittsburgh Steelers made a bit of franchise history this year in retaining all seven of their draft picks, albeit with a caveat. That caveat was seventh-round pick Cory Trice Jr., who is on the team’s Reserve/Injured List rather than the 53-man roster. The cornerback reportedly tore his ACL in the early portions of training camp.
Yet everyone around the team seems supremely confident that Trice would have made the team had he stayed healthy, not something you often say about a seventh-round pick. The rookie had been impressive during OTAs and then early in camp before getting hurt. And he plans to pick up where he left off as soon as possible.
“They want me around, rehabbing with the team, staying around the guys. I am still learning”, Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review quoted him as saying in an article published yesterday. “I am still learning, so when I come back, I can pick up right where I left off”.
Trice’s timeline for recovery is probably going to be a little bit longer than, say, Rod Woodson’s, but he should be able to make it back onto the field next year. After all, he’s done it before. He tore his other ACL in the lead-up to the sixth game of the season for Purdue back in 2021 but was able to play at the beginning of next season, albeit with a brace to start out.
And he believes he is in a better place this time around than after his first knee tear. “Since I have been through it before, I know what to expect”, he said. “I will say that I feel like I am in a way better spot this one then the last one. I am only two-and-a-half weeks out, and I feel really good”.
Of course, the reason Trice was available for the Steelers to be drafted in the seventh round is precisely because of his injury history. It’s likely that many teams feared something like this would happen with him and they didn’t want to risk being the ones who had to deal with it, at least against a higher draft pick.
At least up to the point that he got to, however, he showed that he has talent beyond the average seventh-round pick. He could have easily gone several rounds higher, especially given his 6-foot-3, 206-pound frame.
Now the mission, at least after getting healthy, is to prove that just because he got hurt again doesn’t mean he’s damaged goods and that this is just going to keep happening. Rather, it’s just another speedbump along the road to success.
And for what it’s worth, the Steelers do seem to have a good track record when it comes to being there for their injured players, including keeping them engaged with the team and emotionally invested with their teammates. At the same time, there’s also a reason his name keeps coming up long after he got hurt. It’s because his teammates and coaches know how good he could potentially be.
