When looking at the future defensive for the Pittsburgh Steelers a wild card is CB Cory Trice Jr. Drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Trice has flashed talent, yet struggled with injury which has kept him off the field for long periods of time. There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding Trice entering year three, but he’s confident he is on his way to being one of the best corners in the league.
“I can be one of the best in the game right now,” Trice said via Post-Gazette Sports on YouTube. “So now I’m just showing up every day, just working towards that…Make sure I know all my plays, make sure I’m healthy so I can go out here and put my hand in the pile and help the team win.”
Despite being a seventh-round pick, Trice has a ton of talent. The only reason he fell so far in the draft were injury concerns. Unfortunately those have turned out to be legitimate. This will be a big year for Trice. He will look to stay healthy and become that elite cornerback that he thinks he can be.
It is also clear that the Steelers think he can be too. Although Trice came out as the loser in his battle with Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase last season, it’s notable that the Steelers even let Trice guard him in the first place. It’s something that Trice has been thinking about often, and shows the faith the coaching staff has in him to match him against arguably the best receiver in the NFL.
One reason to “buy stock” in Trice entering his third year is the mentors around him. After the Steelers signed CB Darius Slay in free agency, Trice will have had veteran leadership in the cornerback room of Slay and CB Patrick Peterson before him. Both Slay and Peterson are a wealth of knowledge for Trice and he thinks it has been a huge advantage.
“It’s been a blessing,” Trice said. “Mentally, they’ve just been giving us game. Like they just been feeding us game nonstop. Everybody been open books, so any questions we had they would answer them all. And they just good people, man. So it’s definitely been a great advantage.”
Having those veterans in the room is invaluable for a young cornerback. If Trice can stay healthy he can get hands-on teaching and correction from Slay during the season, something he wasn’t able to receive from Peterson due to his season-ending injury in training camp in 2023.
Entering year three, Trice has a ton of potential to grow into a strong starting cornerback opposite Joey Porter Jr. He has the physical tools and has had the teachers around him to be a smart, savvy player. It will be interesting to see if Trice can stay healthy and put it all together. If so, it could be a big help when looking at Pittsburgh’s future needs.
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