The 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers will be headlined by star names: T.J. Watt, DK Metcalf, and Aaron Rodgers (maybe…probably). But there are plenty of names towards the bottom of the roster fighting hard to stay relevant.
Below are three “forgotten” players who have hardly been discussed this offseason. All three have valid reasons to be forgotten, but all are hardly being discussed among those battling for a 2026 roster spot.
CB Cory Trice Jr.
It doesn’t take long to explain why Trice is forgotten. Snake-bitten by injuries in high school and college that tumbled him to the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Trice hasn’t escaped that dark cloud in the NFL. He’s spent far more time on injured reserve than on the team’s 53-man roster.
As a rookie, he tore his ACL during Pittsburgh’s first padded practice. In 2024, he made it through the summer and showed early promise, picking off his first pass against the Denver Broncos. But a hamstring injury robbed the middle-half of his season, and he was greeted with a tough matchup against Ja’Marr Chase upon returning. In 2025, another training camp lower-body injury sent him to IR. On his first midseason practice back, he got hurt again, remaining on injured reserve.
Entering the final year of his rookie deal, this is Trice’s last chance. But he, like other young players, gets a fresh start with a coaching staff that hasn’t been frustrated by his constant injuries.
Pittsburgh may keep up to six cornerbacks. Four spots are spoken for: Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean, Brandin Echols, and Asante Samuel Jr. That leaves two left for Trice and others (rookies will be added) to grab a spot. Can Trice carve out a special teams role? That might be his best bet to contribute and find a roster path. Of course, staying healthy – and maybe even getting, depending on his injury and rehab – must happen first.
CB Donte Kent
Like Trice, Kent’s health situation is murky. An ankle/foot injury robbed Kent of most of his training camp, and he never appeared in a preseason game. Returning to practice during the season, he tore his ACL in December.
It seems doubtful Kent will be ready for OTAs and spring workouts. Even training camp in July is an aggressive timeline, and he could open the summer on Active/PUP. But if Kent can beat the clock and return by early August, he’ll be fighting alongside Trice for a roster spot.
For a draft pick from last season, albeit a seventh-round one, he’s hardly even mentioned in the cornerback depth chart conversation.
DL Logan Lee
A sixth-round pick in 2024, Lee held a rotational role to begin the 2025 season. After the bye, he lost his spot to Esezi Otomewo. In total, Lee appeared in seven games last year but logged only 47 snaps. Now fighting for his roster life, he’s behind Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Keeanu Benton, offseason signing Sebastian Joseph-Day, Yahya Black, and probably Otomewo.
At best, that puts Lee as the No. 7 defensive lineman for a team that’s kept seven the past several years. Lee will have to fight to stick with everything he has. Unfortunately, he lacks a calling card, although his hand usage and pass-rush plan improved last summer. He’s not a stout, strong run defender or an athletic, twitchy pass rusher, limiting his chances of sticking around.
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