Pittsburgh Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr. epitomizes one of the biggest buzzwords of training camp: potential. A 2023 seventh-round pick, Trice fell in the draft due to his medical history only to tear his ACL. We will soon find out if he is cleared for full contact by the time training camp opens, but he will have a legitimate shot to show what he can do as long as he is healthy.
“Trice could be the biggest wild card on defense”, Mark Kaboly argued for The Athletic recently. “If he can come back from a torn ACL suffered in the first padded practice of training camp last year, he could provide depth outside. It will be a wait-and-see situation regarding his health and how he picks things up after a lost rookie season”.
To be clear, there really isn’t an immediate spot for him. The Steelers have Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson to play the outside, and Cory Trice Jr. doesn’t play inside. At least, he has shown no prior aptitude for playing in the slot.
But the Steelers are pretty thin behind Porter and Jackson, so whoever is one snap away is a role that they have to sort out. Trice should be in that mix along with Darius Rush, Anthony Averett, and Ryan Watts. Of that group, only Averett has any kind of meaningful experience, and is perhaps the favorite.
The missing piece of the puzzle is Cameron Sutton, who is facing an eight-game suspension. In addition to playing in the slot, he might otherwise be the next man up outside. But even if he is, the Steelers need someone like Trice to step up during the first eight games in that role.
Cory Trice Jr. recorded five interceptions with 15 passes defensed over 34 games for Purdue. Injuries peppered his college career, most notably a torn ACL in 2021. He played with a knee brace early in the 2022 season but ultimately turned in one of his better years.
If not for his medical history, Trice could have gone earlier in the draft—perhaps even sneaking into Day 2. But as Kaboly points out, he didn’t even make it through his first NFL padded practice. Sometimes players just have bad injury luck and then move on.
Though not at the start of his career, former Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas Davis tore his ACL in three consecutive seasons. He went on to play nine more years after that, making over 900 tackles with 18 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, 10 interceptions, and 33 passes defensed. Trice is on his second torn ACL now, but that is not the end of his career.
Indeed, he is merely at the beginning, or so he and the Steelers hope. Of course, even if he stays healthy, that doesn’t mean Trice will ultimately have a successful NFL career. But all he can ask for is the opportunity to prove himself. Whether he has that chance this training camp depends on how his body holds up. I don’t know that I would call him the “biggest wild card”, because even if he plays, he likely wouldn’t earn a big role. But it would certainly be a positive story if he manages to come back and contribute.
