With Donte Jackson ailing, Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr. made his NFL starting debut on Saturday. His first-ever starting assignment was an unenviable one: Triple Crown-winning WR Ja’Marr Chase. As one might expect, the inexperienced cornerback had his hands full, though not without a moment or two. And perhaps we should offer him some grace—he didn’t even know he was going to start.
“Man, I ain’t gonna lie. I didn’t even know I was starting for real until I got here”, Brian Batko quotes Trice for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The “here” in question meaning Acrisure Stadium before the game, no doubt. “Then they still hadn’t really told me. It was never like, ‘Oh, you’re starting’. It was more like, ‘You’re up’”.
The Steelers selected Cory Trice Jr. in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent his rookie season on IR, but rebounded well enough to claim the top reserve spot this year. Injuries, however, darkened his door once more, and after three games he spent another stint sidelined.
Even once he was healthy, the Steelers kept Trice on the bench for a while, using James Pierre instead. They favored Pierre not for his skills, but for his special teams ability, experience, and health. Trice, however, finally worked his way back into the mix in recent weeks.
In reality, it’s understandable that the Steelers never told Trice he would start. At least based on pre-game reports, they were expecting, or at least hoping, Donte Jackson would play against the Bengals. If Jackson were healthy, it wouldn’t have been a conversation. Still, it’s funny that they didn’t even tell him he would start after the inactive list came out.
Trice played nearly the entire game, 93 percent of the Steelers’ defensive snaps, and generally lined up across from Ja’Marr Chase. After Tee Higgins exited the game due to an ankle injury, the Steelers did shift Joey Porter Jr. over there. But clearly, the Steelers were willing to let the Bengals test Trice. Test him they certainly did, and in all fairness, he lost. But he fought and helped keep the game manageable.
According to Pro Football Focus, Chase caught eight passes on nine targets against Cory Trice Jr. He gained 80 yards in the process, including an early touchdown in an isolation situation. But against a player who caught 127 passes for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns, is that really so bad? Chase only produced under 80 yards seven times this year.
“I feel like I did a pretty good job technique-wise, but it’s just that I’ve got to start playing the ball a little more when the ball’s in the air”, Trice conceded. “My first start, I feel like I’ve definitely gotta get better. There’s definitely some things I’m gonna go back to the film room and look at as far as technique”.
The Steelers’ hope is that Donte Jackson will be back for the playoffs. In that case, Trice will go back to the bench. He has had to play a lot lately, the next man up amid injuries. Though he didn’t start the previous game when Porter missed time, he did play the majority of the snaps.
Trice finishes his first healthy season having played 193 snaps on defense, the good majority in the past three weeks. He recorded 21 tackles with one for loss (11 of them, including the one for loss, on Saturday). Among his two passes defensed was also an interception. Now that he has a taste of playing under his belt, what do the Steelers see as his next step?
