When you suffer an injury that keeps you on the sidelines, it can be difficult not being a part of the team.
That’s the hard reality that rookie CB Cory Trice Jr. has dealt with this season. He tore his ACL in training camp back on Aug. 1 where he suffered a non-contact right knee injury that required athletic trainers and a cart to help him off the field and to the locker room. He was placed on IR, ending his rookie season before it began.
Teryl Austin was asked about Trice’s involvement with the team despite being on injured reserve, leading the Steelers defensive coordinator to give us our first update on the seventh-round draft pick since the regular season began.
“He’s doing great now that he’s up and moving and everything, and he’s in the meetings and he’s coming out here to practice,” Austin told reporters regarding Trice, per a transcript provided by the Steelers. “He’s doing well. I mean, it’s tough when a young guy does that because sometimes you can feel disconnected from the team, but he’s doing a good job of being around. He’s in all the meetings now.”
Trice has been through the ringer when it comes to injuries, having torn the other ACL back in 2021 when he was at Purdue. He also broke his ankle in high school and suffered a high ankle sprain in 2021, having been flagged for injury concerns, which caused him to fall to the last round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Trice has been in this spot before and has always stayed positive while missing time to rehab. He has made it a priority to stay around his teammates and be there for every meeting, taking all the mental reps he can in what will be a redshirt season as he works his way back to be ready for 2024.
Pittsburgh needs to find a capable running mate opposite of CB Joey Porter Jr. with Levi Wallace a free agent after the season and Patrick Peterson, 33, getting long in the tooth. Trice could be that guy, having that same freakish length and size Porter possesses while leaving a positive impact on the field in training camp before going down with injury. Pittsburgh may choose to address cornerback after the season, either in the draft or free agency, but if Trice’s recovery goes according to plan, he will be able to throw his hand into the pile as he looks to earn a role with Pittsburgh next season.
