Pittsburgh Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr. has a lengthy injury history, including a torn ACL suffered last training camp that wiped out his rookie year. Trice isn’t worried about the injuries though, and he knows the team isn’t worried about his past when he’s out on the field, as he told reporters that he’s just focused on improving his game.
“I can’t think about it, man. Whenever I’m out there, they not gonna care about it. So whenever I’m out there, I’m just trying to work on my game and continue to execute,” Trice said via Post-Gazette Sports on YouTube.
It can be tough for players to get back to full strength post-injury mentally as well as physically, as they sometimes won’t trust themselves to move the way they used to due to fear of re-injury. With Trice, even given his lengthy history, that’s not the case.
Frankly, it can’t be an issue for him. He is fighting for a role on this team, and if Trice doesn’t trust himself and doesn’t go all out, he’ll struggle to make the roster. With the team ramping up his work throughout camp, he’s emerged as someone who’s getting looks in dime, and he could wind up playing a valuable role for the Steelers this season.
Cory Trice Jr. getting plenty of looks as a dime defender. Would love if he or Ryan Watts could become one of those TE erasers when Pittsburgh’s gotta face Mark Andrews, Travis Kelce, etc. this year. #Steelers
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) August 6, 2024
Trice is still likely going to be behind Joey Porter Jr. and Dante Jackson on the depth chart at outside corner, but he can rotate in and his length at 6033 with a 77″ wingspan can make him a weapon against bigger receivers or tight ends. He got off to a solid start last training camp before tearing his ACL in the first day in pad. It seems like he’s built off that this season to impress the coaching staff and earn a bigger opportunity.
The preseason will be key to see Trice against other teams for the first time in his career. If he can impress, his role could grow between now and the start of the season. It’ll be interesting to see how much Trice winds up playing early in the year and if he can be a key depth defender for the Steelers.
