Just over a year after tearing his ACL on the first day of padded practices at Saint Vincent College last summer in training camp, second-year Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cory Trice Jr. was finally able to take the field for an NFL football game, appearing in the team’s 20-12 preseason-opening loss to the Houston Texans on Friday night at Acrisure Stadium.
That moment, that first walk onto an NFL field knowing he was going to see playing time, was a dream come true for the former seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Purdue.
Speaking to the Steelers’ radio play-by-play voice Rob King after practice Monday in Latrobe, Trice described the moment.
“Man, it was like a dream come true, man. It definitely felt good,” Trice said to King, according to video via Steelers.com. “You know, I’ve been waiting for a long time and whenever the opportunity presented itself, I was ready.”
Trice certainly was ready, making a tackle for loss in his first opportunity.
On the quick screen to Houston receiver Johnny Johnson III, Trice drove downhill, slipped under a block from rookie receiver Jaeden Janke and made a textbook tackle on Johnson for the tackle for loss, igniting a celebration from his teammates. Many of those teammates stood alongside Trice last year, seeing the work, the time and effort he put in to go through yet another injury rehab in his football life.
In his NFL debut after missing his entire rookie season, Trice played 18 snaps for the Steelers in the loss to the Texans. He had the one tackle and was charged with allowing the reception by Pro Football Focus, even though it was behind the line of scrimmage.
On the night, Trice graded out at a 75.9 overall from Pro Football Focus, including a 61.7 against the run and a 76.9 overall in coverage. The play working downhill leading to the tackle for loss stole the show, and has caused Trice to potentially get more opportunities moving forward.
During practice on Monday, Trice received some first-team snaps at cornerback opposite Joey Porter Jr. as veteran Donte Jackson remained out while nursing some bumps and bruises. The arrow appears to be pointing up for Trice overall, at least in the eyes of the Steelers’ coaching staff as more opportunities could come his way.
He’s checked off one box in the NFL, that being appearing in a game and making a play. Now, he needs to continue to build off of it. He’s willing to do whatever is asked of him and turn that dream come true of playing in an NFL stadium into a legitimate, day-after-day reality.
