With depth a concern on the boundary at the cornerback position, second-year pro Cory Trice Jr. has an opportunity to carve out a role for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Behind Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson, depth roles are up in the air, but so far in training camp Trice, who missed his rookie season after tearing his ACL on the first day of padded practices last summer, could be that guy who emerges for the Steelers at the cornerback position.
So much so, in fact, that CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso believes Trice could become a “critical contributor” for the Steelers defensively this season.
Trapasso placed Trice, a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, among his “Out Of Nowhere” breakout players for CBSSports.com Friday.
“Trice is such a unique cornerback. At the 2023 Combine, he measured in at a legitimate 6-3 and 206 pounds with nearly 33-inch arms. In today’s NFL that’s nearly linebacker size. He ran 4.47 with an 11-foot broad jump, the latter testing in the 93rd percentile at the cornerback position,” Trapasso writes, according to CBSSports.com. “What I loved about Trice as a prospect is that he wasn’t simply a big, tall, linear athlete. He had five interceptions and 15 pass breakups in five seasons at Purdue, and two of his picks and 10 of those knocked away passes occurred in his final season with the Boilermakers. He played with immense energy on every snap and in 2022 was suffocating at the catch point in the Big Ten.
“…Trice has the coverage instincts, length, and athleticism to become a critical contributor to what should be a stingy Steelers defense in 2024.”
Coming out of Purdue, Trice was certainly a very intriguing prospect, one who really only fell to the seventh round due to his past medical issues. With his length and testing numbers though, there is plenty of reason to believe in the hype for Trice.
Last summer’s knee injury was a real bummer, one that raised further concerns about Trice being able to stay healthy enough to fulfill his potential in the NFL.
So far this summer though, things are looking up for Trice. He’s played well in training camp, though in a limited role.
In the Friday night preseason opener against the Houston Texans, Trice saw just 11 snaps, but he looked good once again. He made a nice tackle for loss on a quick screen, firing downhill to beat a blocker and take down the Houston receiver cleanly for the big play, showing off just what he can do moving forward.
There’s still a long way to go for Trice when it comes to carving out a key role for the Steelers, whether that’s in dime personnel or potentially pushing someone like Jackson at the position. But with his size, speed, and overall skill set, there’s an opportunity there for Trice to grab a role on a Steelers defense that could be one of the league’s best once again.
