Pittsburgh Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr. played 20 defensive snaps on Sunday, but one in particular stood out. With the Broncos facing 2nd and goal from the 6, the second-year defender came up with a crucial interception. The takeaway kept Denver scoreless and preserved the Steelers’ 10-0 lead at the time.
“I could see the quarterback and could see where he was going”, Trice said, via the Steelers’ Dale Lolley. “I looked over and saw the guy. I couldn’t believe he really threw the ball, but he really threw it. It was crazy. The pick felt good”.
The “he” in question is Broncos rookie first-round QB Bo Nix, who now has four interceptions and zero touchdowns. Trice has one of those interceptions, thanks partially to Donte Jackson. Jackson temporarily exited the game due to an injury, and perhaps Nix expected to pick on him.
The Steelers selected Trice in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, his stock falling due to medical concerns. As fate would have it, he tore his ACL early in training camp and spent his rookie season on the Reserve/Injured List.
Despite everything he has gone through, Trice persevered. While they traded for Jackson to start, the Steelers decided they were comfortable with Trice as the principal backup at outside cornerback. He has already played in both games as a result of minor nicks for a total of 27 snaps. In addition to his first career interception, he also made two tackles.
As for Bo Nix, he knows exactly what he did. In his view of the interception, he said, he “dropped back [and] threw it to the other team”. Trice is forever grateful, saying that he is sending that ball home to have it displayed.
While rookie mistakes and injury played a role in manifesting Cory Trice’s interception, he knows there are others to thank. Cameron Heyward in particular deserves credit, forcing pressure on the play and hastening Nix’s read.
“Those guys up front make it so easy for us. They just make our jobs so easy”, Lolley quotes Trice as saying. “All those boys just rushing and getting to the quarterback, stopping the run. All we’ve got to do on the back end is make sure we capitalize on the big plays”.
Thus far, Trice and the rest of the secondary are doing just that. The Steelers have five takeaways through two games, of which four are interceptions. Trice has one, as do Jackson, DeShon Elliott, and Damontae Kazee. And after failing to get one all of last year, you know Minkah Fitzpatrick is looking to get his soon.
