Pittsburgh Steelers CB Cory Trice Jr. has had a rough path in the NFL. The Steelers selected him in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft after he suffered multiple injuries at Purdue, including a torn ACL in 2021. They were willing to take a chance on him because he showed talent when he was healthy.
Even his final year of college showed that. Trice had two interceptions and 10 passes knocked down in 2022 after recovering from his torn ACL. But the injuries continued with the Steelers. It started his rookie training camp when he tore an ACL again, forcing him to miss his entire rookie year. He fought back last season, but he suffered a hamstring injury that robbed him of most of the year again. And Trice’s hamstring is bothering him again, robbing him of valuable time in his third training camp.
“He is an NFL corner,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Monday per The Athletic’s Mike De Fabo. “That guy can play in this league. I don’t think there’s any doubt of that. It’s just a matter of him being available.”
Teryl Austin on Cory Trice: “He is an NFL corner. That guy can play in this league. I don’t think there’s any doubt of that. It’s just a matter of him being available.”
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) August 18, 2025
And that’s the crux of the issue. The Steelers drafted Trice because they saw his talent. That’s never been the question with Trice. The biggest question is whether he can stay healthy enough to showcase that talent on the football field. We saw that last year when Trice grabbed his first career interception against the Denver Broncos.
CORY TRICE WITH HIS FIRST @NFL INT ‼️
📲 Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/COxKRnrEBK pic.twitter.com/Z7DDL4JCXO
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 15, 2024
Right before Broncos QB Bo Nix throws, Trice bails from the front of the end zone to make the pick in front of a previously wide-open Broncos player. It’s a fantastic play, and it gives us a glimpse of what Trice can do on the field.
But as Austin pointed out, we just don’t see Cory Trice Jr. on the field enough. And insider Mark Kaboly thinks it’s about time for the Steelers to move on from him. Unfortunately, as other corners on the roster gain playing time and show up in preseason games, it’ll be that much harder for Trice to make the Steelers’ 53-man roster.
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