Pittsburgh Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr. has gotten first-team reps in practice with CB Donte Jackson dealing with a minor injury. Coming off a torn ACL that ended his rookie season before it got started, Trice is eager to show the Steelers what he can do on the field. During an interview after practice today, Trice told reporters that he wants to show the Steelers that he can “do more” and wants to play wherever they put him.
“Whenever they ask me to do more, that’s really a way for me to show them I can do more. So if they ask me for a certain position, I’m gonna do it. Just show them that I can continue to stay healthy,” Trice said via Chris Adamski of TribLive on Twitter.
Trice said he’s willing to play special teams to help him show his value.
“Man, whatever they want me to show, I’m showing them. Like if they got me on there, I’m playing it. Wherever they got me on the field, I wanna play that.”
Trice played three special teams snaps as a member of the punt return unit while also logging 18 defensive snaps. He had a nice close on a screen pass and made his lone tackle of the game for a loss of two yards in the fourth quarter.
Pittsburgh’s cornerback depth is thin right now, which should provide Trice with an opportunity to potentially play a role for Pittsburgh as an outside corner behind Jackson and Joey Porter Jr. The increase in reps in practice the last two days should be beneficial for Trice, as should running with the ones, as he’s going up against better talent and working with guys who he would in a game.
Trice had a promising start in OTAs and minicamp last season before going down on the first padded practice of training camp, and with him ramping up his workload as he gets healthier, it’ll be interesting to see if Trice can make an impact for Pittsburgh’s defense this season. As he said, showing the team that he can stay healthy is going to be important as well, as he has an extensive injury history, which is why he fell to the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
If Trice can continue to make plays like the one he made on Friday night, he could find a path to playing time in a cornerback room that could use him in different ways, including in dime packages to take away tight ends. He seems to be on an upward trajectory, and it could lead to Trice having a role on gameday for the Steelers.
