Cory Trice Jr. reached a big milestone a week ago when he played his first snaps in an NFL regular-season game. One week later, he reached another big milestone with his first interception. Any interception is great, but the timing of Trice’s was perfect.
The Denver Broncos had just found a spark on offense when they reached into their bag of tricks for a 49-yard completion, but Trice prevented the spark from catching flame when he intercepted Bo Nix in the end zone two plays later.
His teammates praised him for his big moment in the 13-6 win after the game.
“How about Cory Trice?” T.J. Watt said in a video posted on the Steelers’ YouTube page. “All that he’s been able to overcome and just seeing all the work that he puts in. And to see him get that play, that interception was huge.”
Trice lost his entire rookie season, including the preseason, to a knee injury. He was cleared for full contact in the weeks leading up to training camp this year. He was brought along slowly, often being the fifth cornerback in the rotation at the start of training camp, but as he got back into form his involvement in the defense increased.
Now he is the top backup to Donte Jackson and Joey Porter Jr.
“Cory just stepped up in the moment,” said Cameron Heyward. “What a heck of a way for a guy who was hurt all last year to be ready for that moment. Make a big play for us and keep seven off the board.”
Below is the play from the Steelers’ account on X.
It was a demoralizing moment for the Broncos after finally finding a spark on offense. Trice came in the game to replace Donte Jackson, who got injured just two plays earlier. Considering the Steelers won by seven points, this was a game-changing play that was crucial to the Steelers securing a 2-0 record for the first time since 2020.
Depth at cornerback has been a big question for this team, but Trice is helping ease those concerns with his play. That is great to see for a seventh-round pick who has dealt with a ton of adversity to get to where he is now.
