For Pittsburgh Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr., every day is a new milestone of sorts. A 2023 seventh-round pick, he missed his rookie season after tearing his ACL early in training camp. Instead of training, he spent his second offseason rehabbing, but he’s putting it to good use now.
Trice turned some heads in the spring of his rookie season, building excitement for training camp. He didn’t last long in 2023, though, and this year, the Steelers consciously brought him along slowly. Having gone through a game now, though, it appears they are taking the reins off. With Donte Jackson missing time, Trice has run with the first-team defense recently.
“He’s just been working, head down, just waiting for his name to get called to get out there and show people that he could play”, said Joey Porter Jr., the cornerback the Steelers took in the second round in 2023 before taking Trice in the seventh, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That’s the biggest thing he really wants to do, to show people that he’s a ball player. He’s doing that every day”.
While opinions varied, most agreed that Cory Trice Jr. by talent merited a much better evaluation than the seventh round. He only fell so far because teams flagged him for medical concerns, Trice recovering from a college ACL tear.
Trice moves well enough for a 6-3 cornerback north of 200 pounds, a size that will always intrigue NFL teams. The Steelers simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to draft him when the seventh round rolled around, despite the risks.
While he ended up tearing his ACL anyway, there is such a thing as coincidences. It’s entirely possible that Cory Trice Jr. goes on to have a long and productive career, beginning in 2024. He is making headway recently, perhaps benefitting from the Steelers’ long-view approach to working him back.
Previously viewed as buried in the depth chart, Trice’s first-team work this week is significant. While he isn’t fighting for a starting spot—those are for Porter and Jackson—he can be the next man up. Darius Rush, also a 2023 draft pick, had an early advantage because he was healthy, but Trice has closed the gap. With Kalon Barnes waived due to injury and Anthony Averett not making significant headway, he could regularly dress on Sundays.
The Steelers only played Trice late in their first preseason game on Friday, but he looked the part. It was a fairly brief appearance, playing about 10 snaps, but he managed to make a tackle for loss. He has also worked in the slot, somewhat surprisingly, giving him the opportunity to vie for dime snaps.
Where he can help himself is being more involved on special teams as we move forward. He played three snaps on the punt return unit in the first preseason game, but that may not be enough. The Steelers dress four-phase special teamers, so Trice, if he can physically manage it, has work to do.
