Pittsburgh Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr. tore his right ACL during training camp last season, and he previously tore his left ACL in 2021 while playing at Purdue. Trice said that the prior ACL tear was “actually a good thing,” since he knew what to expect when it came to rehabbing for his most recent ACL tear.
“Going into it, I knew each month like what all to expect, month three, month four. So it was actually a good thing,” Trice said via Aaron Becker of Yardbarker on Twitter.
#Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr. tore his ACL in training camp a year ago. He says suffering a similar injury in college has only helped his recovery process.
“It was actually a good thing because I knew what to expect. Going into it, I knew each month like what all to expect.” pic.twitter.com/bQDR10KcfC
— Aaron Becker (@Aaron_M_Becker) May 22, 2024
He said that being in the NFL helped accelerate the timeline of the process.
“I’m at a high level so everything is better now, it’s similar but it’s better.”
Trice hasn’t fully been cleared for contact and has been wearing a brace on his knee during OTAs, which Becker noted.
#Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr. has been wearing a knee brace during OTAs. https://t.co/TlCp2HmBOJ pic.twitter.com/fpt326WEft
— Aaron Becker (@Aaron_M_Becker) May 22, 2024
He expects to be cleared for full contact by training camp, and his performance in Latrobe could lead to him getting a lot of playing time for the Steelers this season. He was impressive in OTAs and camp prior to his injury last season, and he’s in line for snaps at outside cornerback behind Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson, as the Steelers’ depth is limited with Trice, Ryan Watts and Anthony Averett looking like the main candidates for snaps behind Pittsburgh’s top two outside corners.
Trice has the size the Steelers have recently coveted in the draft, measuring in at 6033 and 205 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine last year. Along with Porter and Watts, the three have the length to disrupt receivers at the line of scrimmage. Trice and Porter were deemed “avatar” cornerbacks last season, and if Trice can play in camp the way he did last offseason, there are reps to be had and he could be an impact player in Pittsburgh’s secondary.
It’s not a great sign to have two ACL tears, especially with one in each knee, but it’s good that Trice was familiar with the rehab and knew what to expect and how to attack it. It seemed to make the process easier, and while it probably sucked for Trice not to be on the field for his rookie year, once he gets healthy, he’ll be well-equipped to make some plays for the Steelers in 2024.
