Pittsburgh Steelers second-year cornerback Cory Trice Jr. came up with a huge play in the team’s 13-6 win in Week 2 over the Denver Broncos, intercepting QB Bo Nix in the end zone and taking points off the board for the Broncos. Trice, who missed all of 2023 with a torn ACL, has emerged as a potential solid depth piece at cornerback for the Steelers, and Gerry Dulac said that people inside the building “really like” him.
“That’s another guy that they always, they like what they see in him, but they want to see it on the field. And so far, what they’ve seen on the field, you know he missed all of last year, what they’ve seen on the field, they really like this guy,” Dulac said on the DVE Morning Show.
Trice was a seventh-round pick last year who fell in the draft due to injuries, and the injury fears came true when he tore his ACL on the first day of pads in training camp. Leading up to that though, Trice had been impressive for the Steelers, and he put together a solid camp again this year. With Donte Jackson briefly leaving the Broncos game due to an injury, he got his chance to make a play and took advantage of it.
Pittsburgh’s cornerback room is young, and the depth looks thin behind Joey Porter Jr. and Jackson. Trice and Darius Rush are both in their second seasons on the outside while Beanie Bishop Jr. is an undrafted rookie starting in the slot. With such a young room that hasn’t proven much heading into this season, the Steelers need someone to step up and become a guy they can rely on if needed. Trice has taken steps toward being that guy through two games.
He’s not going to pass Jackson or Porter on the depth chart, but if one of them gets hurt, then the Steelers need someone they can trust to fill in. Right now, it’s tough to point to anyone in the room as a solid option, but Trice could be that guy if he continues to play the way he has. The interception on Sunday turned the tide of the game after Denver had some momentum following a big gain off a trick play, and if Trice can continue to show his ball skills while continuing to show off his physicality and length at corner, he could be an asset for the Steelers going forward.
