Pittsburgh Steelers cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. joined the team together. Porter was the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft while Trice was the team’s first of two seventh-round picks. While expectations were quite high for Porter, they were going to get a chance to work and develop together.
Then Trice suffered a knee injury at the onset of training camp in 2023 and all that came crashing down. However, that doesn’t mean Trice wasn’t learning from his fellow corner.
“He even helped me from just watching him last year to this year,” Trice said after Monday’s training camp practice per Yardbarker’s Aaron Becker. “He gives me nuggets every practice, every game…He’s definitely been a big help.”
#Steelers CB Cory Trice on how fellow CB Joey Porter Jr. has helped him.
“Oh, a lot. He helped me from just watching him last year to this year, he gives me nuggets every practice, every game. … He’s definitely been a big help.” pic.twitter.com/gJZ0q924F0
— Aaron Becker (@Aaron_M_Becker) August 12, 2024
Trice missed out on valuable practice time with the knee injury. But that doesn’t mean he had to miss out on learning the mental aspect of NFL football. Trice picked up on tips from Porter throughout last year both from watching and listening even though he couldn’t play.
And Porter certainly could give some tips. While he did not start immediately as a rookie, he established himself as a starter midway through the season. He even had a key play versus the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5 when he snagged an interception in the end zone while covering WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Does that mean that Trice is ready to step into a big role in 2024? Not by itself, no. But there is certainly an opportunity for playing time thanks to a lack of established depth at cornerback. Even defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has admitted that not much has been decided about the depth chart.
So Trice has worked his way back from a bad knee injury while learning from Porter. Now he has an opportunity to carve out a role in 2024.
