Just when it looked like he was set to get back onto the field and give the secondary a boost, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cory Trice Jr.’s season is over before it even started.
Again.
Trice, who suffered a hamstring injury in training camp, had his 21-day window opened on Oct. 29 to return to practice and potentially get back onto the 53-man roster. But in the process of getting back into practice and getting up to speed, Trice suffered another knee injury and hasn’t practiced since.
On Wednesday, his 21-day window to be activated closed, meaning he’ll remain on the Reserve/Injured list for the rest of the season, ending another year early for the former seventh-round pick.
Injuries were a key reason why he fell in the 2023 NFL Draft, and now they’re giving him issues in the NFL, too. For defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, his latest knee injury is unfortunate, but the setback will only make him better.
“It just stinks for a guy who pours so much into it,” Austin said Thursday of Trice, according to a tweet from the Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo. “He’s in here already trying to plot his next comeback.”
Teryl Austin on Cory Trice Jr. remaining on IR for the rest of the season. "It just stinks for a guy who pours so much into it. He's in here already trying to plot his next comeback."
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) November 20, 2025
Trice went down with a hamstring injury during the Steelers’ Friday Night Lights practice in training camp. He never practiced again in camp and missed all three preseason games ahead of a big third season in which he was expected to be a contributor in the remade secondary.
Then the Steelers slow-played his return to practice, not opening his window when first eligible in Week 5. Once they opened the window, Trice practiced in full on the Wednesday ahead of the matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. Then he was limited on Thursday with the knee injury before missing practice that Friday.
Since then, Trice hasn’t practiced, leading to the Steelers’ decision to keep his window closed.
It marks the third straight NFL season in which he’s dealt with injuries. He tore his ACL in training camp in his rookie season, then dealt with hamstring injury early in 2024, going on to play just 194 snaps defensively in Year 2.
Then there was the hamstring injury in training camp this summer, and now another knee injury. It could spell the end of the road for Trice in Pittsburgh.
That’s an unfortunate way for it to potentially end, but that’s the nature of the business. Availability is your best ability as a player, and Trice just hasn’t been available.
We’ll see if he sticks around for the 2026 season in Pittsburgh. Chances are though, Trice’s comeback attempt will — and probably should — happen elsewhere.
Recommended for you