Every day is a new milestone for Pittsburgh Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr. A 2023 seventh-round pick, he missed his rookie season after tearing his ACL early in training camp. He spent his second offseason rehabbing instead of working out, but now he’s putting it to good use.
Trice made waves in the spring of his rookie season and brought excitement to training camp. He didn’t last long in 2023, however, and this year the Steelers deliberately took him slowly. Now that he’s played in a game, however, it seems they’re loosening the reins. With Donte Jackson missing time, Trice has been skating with the first-team defense lately.
“He’s just been working with his head down and just waiting for his name to be called to go out there and show people he can play,” Joey Porter Jr., the cornerback the Steelers picked in the second round in 2023 before taking Trice in the seventh round, said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That’s the main thing he really wants to do, show people he’s a ballplayer. He does that every day.”
Opinions varied, but most agreed that Cory Trice Jr. deserved a much higher grade than the seventh round based on his talent. He only fell so far because teams were cutting him due to medical concerns as Trice recovered from a torn ACL in college.
Trice moves well enough for a 6-3, 200-plus pound cornerback, a size that will always intrigue NFL teams. The Steelers simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to draft him when the seventh round came around, despite the risks.
Although he ended up tearing his ACL anyway, there are such things as coincidences. It’s entirely possible that Cory Trice Jr. will have a long and successful career starting in 2024. He’s been making strides of late and may benefit from the Steelers’ long-term approach to rebuilding him.
Trice was once considered a minor player, but his work with the first team has been notable this week. Although he’s not competing for a starting spot – those spots go to Porter and Jackson – he could be the next man up. Darius Rush, also a 2023 draft pick, had an early advantage because he was healthy, but Trice has filled the gap. With Kalon Barnes out with an injury and Anthony Averett not making any significant progress, he could be a regular on Sundays.
The Steelers didn’t let Trice play until Friday, towards the end of their first preseason game, but he looked good enough. It was a fairly brief appearance, playing about 10 snaps, but he managed to make one tackle that led him to foul trouble. Somewhat surprisingly, he also worked in the slot, which gave him the opportunity to compete for dime snaps.
What may help him is getting more involved on special teams in the future. He played three snaps on the punt return unit in the first preseason game, but that may not be enough. The Steelers field four-phase special teams, so if Trice can make it physically, he still has work to do.
