Player: CB Cory Trice Jr.
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: Despite practicing in full all week, the Steelers opted not to activate CB Cory Trice Jr. for tonight’s game. The second-year man will have to wait one more week to make his return from injury. Given his practice status from this week, his return next week is highly probable. But from there, the Steelers will have to figure out when and how to use him.
In something of a surprise, the Steelers ruled out CB Cory Trice Jr. for tonight’s game despite listing him as a full practice participant all week. Trice has been on the Reserve/Injured List since pulling his hamstring in Week 3. Having recently begun practicing again, however, the coaches wanted to give him more time.
At least I can only work under the presumption that the Steelers are erring on the side of caution. You almost never see a team rule a player out who practiced in full all week. But practices are not exactly “full” on a short week, which in itself may have been an impediment to Trice’s return.
Put simply, the Steelers didn’t have enough work for Trice in practice to determine whether he is ready to return. You can only get so many reps going from Sunday to Thursday, and the reps you get are half speed.
The good news is that he appears on the verge of returning. And Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson appear to be relatively healthy. The Steelers have gotten by without Cory Trice Jr. for most of the season at this point, but it will be good to get him back all the same.
A seventh-round pick out of Purdue, Trice spent his rookie season on the Reserve/Injured List after tearing his ACL in training camp. He rebounded to emerge as the Steelers’ top backup outside cornerback, recording a key interception in Week 2. Trice only has 28 defensive snaps to his name so far, but there are plenty more to come.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
