Anything Pittsburgh Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr. contributes this year is a bonus, or at least we keep hearing that. Well, sometimes we earn bonuses, and Trice is looking to secure his. A year after tearing his ACL, he was a full participant in the Steelers’ first training camp practice.
Of course, being available is only the first step of the journey. After that, Trice has to earn a roster spot and then a job, one that is more than special teams. But now that he is back on the field, he has the opportunity to state his case.
“Make no mistake about it, he is the type of corner that they want in this defense”, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said of Trice on 93.7 The Fan yesterday following the Steelers’ first training camp practice. “They want those long, rangy guys who can shut down those outside passing windows”.
“We’ll see how he comes along”, he added, after comparing Trice physically to Joey Porter Jr. “I think we have to see him over an extended period, but if he can stay healthy, I think he’ll have a chance to make a name for himself this summer”.
A seventh-round pick out of Purdue in 2023, Cory Trice Jr. started making a name for himself last offseason. Unfortunately, his knee injury early in last year’s training camp ended any hopes of rookie contributions. That he managed to rehab to the point that he can fully participate in training camp, though, is big.
But there is the question of opportunity, and there are no immediate opportunities ahead of him. The Steelers have Porter and Donte Jackson as their starting outside cornerbacks, and he doesn’t play inside. The only chance Trice would have is if they experimented with Jackson in the slot, but don’t count on that.
To Fittipaldo’s point, Trice fits the mold of what the Steelers have been looking for at cornerback lately. He is 6-3 and 206 pounds, joining a group of young defensive backs with size. Porter, Darius Rush, and Ryan Watts are all at least 6-2.
Of course, they also have smaller cornerbacks under 6-0, from Cameron Sutton to Josiah Scott. Basically, those are the slot guys, while Trice groups with the outside guys. Rush could potentially play inside, though, and perhaps Watts as well.
While he fell to the seventh round, teams viewed Trice as more talented than that. Injury concerns hurt his stock value, but the Steelers could not pass on him when he remained available.
