Player: CB Cory Trice Jr.
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The opening of on-field work in the first phase of the offseason program offered welcome news. We got our first glimpse of CB Cory Trice Jr. since he tore his ACL in training camp last summer. Though we only sighted him in a single photograph going through a warmup drill, it’s still a welcome sign. At the least, it likely indicates he is progressing as scheduled through his rehab process.
Now that we have seen a picture of Cory Trice Jr. on a football field, we can resume his Hall of Fame campaign. The 2023 seventh-round pick out of Purdue has never even played a snap in a preseason game, but he’s amazing. Trust me, bro.
But in all seriousness, getting a glimpse of him participating in any sort of “football-like” activity is a welcome sight. Trice is a talented young player with an unfortunate injury history, which is why he nearly went undrafted.
As you’ll recall, the 6-3 specimen suffered a torn ACL fairly early in training camp last summer. He also tore an ACL during the 2022 season back at Purdue, which lingered into 2023. He had to play with a brace on during the early portions of the season, which affected his play.
While the Steelers really seemed to like Trice and his tape as a prospect, there’s a reason even they waited until the seventh round to draft him. Granted, they had no fifth- or sixth-round draft picks, so perhaps they take him higher otherwise. But they knew his injury history just like everyone else did.
The risk was worth the potential reward near the end of the draft. But right now, they’re just hoping to get a more serious look at Trice. Teammates praised him during OTAs last year, but he has never even played in the preseason yet.
The Steelers need depth, and quality depth, at the cornerback position. They have Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson as their starters, but Trice and Darius Rush are up after them. If those names inspire confidence in you in April 2024, then I envy your fount of optimism.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
