Player: WR Cory Trice Jr.
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: While no surprise, the Steelers are not leaning on Cory Trice Jr. for any significant role in 2025. With the signing of Darius Slay, the third-year cornerback figures at best to retain the spot he finished with. That would be as the top backup on the outside, with possibly some dime snaps. And while that’s perfectly fine, it is not progress but rather status quo.
If there was any question about how the Steelers viewed Cory Trice Jr. entering this offseason, they answered it by signing Darius Slay. While it wasn’t the expectation that Trice would start, you don’t sign a Slay and not start him. In other words, there will be no competition, which means no room for Trice in the starting lineup.
And that echoes all the public comments about Trice from the Steelers brass this offseason. While they offer compliments for his talent, there is always the reservation about durability. And two years into his career, that concern is impossible to ignore. He has only played in six games, after all—which brings up a separate point.
Like many fringe players in the past, Trice has been the subject of myth among Steelers fans. The team helped perpetuate that image, pairing him with fellow-rookie Joey Porter Jr. as their “Avatar” corners. While it’s nice for the seventh-round pick to place him on even footing, it’s unrealistic.
The Steelers like Cory Trice Jr., but he can’t be integral to their plans. He is depth, filling in behind Porter and Slay while contributing on special teams. That appears to be where we are heading with him as he goes into his third season. It’s hardly a surprise for someone with under 200 career snaps played.
The next step will be the draft, after which Trice could fall even further in the pecking order. He may already be behind Brandin Echols, who can play both inside and outside. But if they add a significant rookie, Trice could be verging on being a healthy scratch unless he earns an even larger special teams role.
With the new league year underway and the Steelers turning their roster over, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract.
There is still a long way to go before we know what this Steelers team is going to look like. Once the dust settles on free agency, we turn our attention to the draft, and so on. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? If they traded for one player, they could certainly trade for another, or trade one away. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
