If Cory Trice Jr. were a cat, he would be on his sixth or seventh NFL life by now, factoring in his numerous injuries with the Steelers. Contending with a gimpy hamstring, his unavailability is very much putting his job in jeopardy. He needs to return to practice very soon, or he’ll be looking at the waiver wire in the near future.
As much as the Steelers like Trice—that’s why he’s made it this far—the best ability remains availability. It wasn’t his talent that caused Trice to fall to the Steelers in the seventh round, after all. Teams harbored concerns about his durability and his longevity. the Steelers rolled the dice and took the risk, but so far, it’s hard to dispute that they are losing.
Trice drew medical red flags during the pre-draft process because of a prior torn ACL. He suffered a second torn ACL during his rookie training camp, spending the year on the Reserve/Injured List. Despite the setback, he seemed to make a triumphant recovery. He earned the Steelers’ top backup cornerback job last year, and picked off a pass in Week 2.
After his big play, Trice injured his hamstring the following week, and spent most of the rest of the season on the Reserve/Injured List as a result. That’s two years in a row now with hamstring issues, which were not in his history.
With him sidelined, Brandin Echols is clearly seizing the top backup cornerback job. Echols’ job is not at all in question, however, and Trice’s very much is. And if he doesn’t return soon, he may lose via forfeit.
The Steelers invested significantly in the cornerback position this offseason, adding two starters. They signed Darius Slay via free agency, then added Jalen Ramsey via trade. Joey Porter Jr. is also in the starting lineup, with Echols as a top reserve. Right now, Beanie Bishop Jr. is likely slotted in the fifth spot. James Pierre, a special teams ace, has to be ahead of Trice right now.
The dilemma, of course, is that the Steelers are really high on Cory Trice. But do they like him enough to carry him through this series of injuries? He has missed extended time already in training camp, and it’s not looking good for him to play in their second preseason game.
To date, Trice has logged 193 defensive snaps across six games, plus 60 snaps on special teams. He has 21 tackles including one for loss, with an interception and two passes defensed. But he also gave up a touchdown against WR Ja’Marr Chase, which is still on his mind.
