When the Pittsburgh Steelers chose not to re-sign Cam Sutton and allow him to explore the free agency market late this past winter, fans panicked. The cornerback room in Pittsburgh was not exactly loaded with talent and Sutton was pretty much top-tier for the group. However, that panic now seems to be premature as the team appears to have stacked the deck with some promising players.
After allowing Sutton to walk away, the Steelers signed veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson who had been with the Minnesota Vikings. That signing seemed to come from out of the blue, with Peterson not on anyone's radar as a possibility.
Then the draft came and the Steelers chose fan favorite Joey Porter Jr. out of Penn State in the second round. Porter, whose father Joey Porter Sr., played for the Steelers was almost unilaterally considered a first-round talent. The Steelers passed over him in the first round, much to the dismay of many fans, taking an offensive lineman Broderick Jones instead.
Trice is another player who appears to be a great value for his draft spot. He was originally expected to get picked up in an early round and at the latest about round five but dropped all the way to the seventh. This has most analysts calling him a steal and labeling him a "sleeper pick."
While no one is complaining about all the talent the team now has in the room, it has led to some questions as to how the two rookies will compete and find playing time. This debate was only made more complex by Trice's performance during mini camp this summer. While it is still early days and definitely too soon to guarantee a seventh-rounder a roster spot, he is well on his way to earning it.
This should surprise no one, Trice has been very vocal about wanting to prove his critics wrong. Now he has the perfect opportunity, with the perfect teammates. All three new corners - Trice, Porter and Peterson all play outside the slot but Peterson has been seen taking some time in the slot. It will be interesting to see how the three of them compete at camp.
Steelers Joey Porter Jr. vs. Cory Trice - Is There A Competition to Start?
Now, an insider and a former player are offering up their opinions on how the competition between the two rookies will shake out. Ramon Foster, who played guard for the Steelers, now hosts a podcast with Dejan Kovacevic, a Pittsburgh sports reporter, called The Ramon Foster Show, which airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports.
On a recent episode of the show, a fan wrote in and asked if they thought Trice was better than Porter. Kovacevic joked that he knew this was coming, especially considering his recent performance. Foster, however, has a caution for fans who might be trying to read into this.
"I love the question, you got a late-round guy like Cory pushing it, it's even better because of the higher draft pick. But don't misconstrue what happens this time of year as opposed to what happens later. If we get a stud out of a seventh-rounder that's called great scouting."
Foster goes on to say that while we might be seeing incredible snippets of action from Trice, we need to remember that Porter is still "the guy." He also notes that it is just realistic and fair to say that Trice is missing elements in the gameplay that Porter has. This isn't to say that they both can't start or play.
Kovacevic says that Trice and Porter aren't the only two considerations and reinforces that Peterson might be working on moving spots.
"I'll tell you this though, Patrick Peterson has acknowledged taking snaps and running drills at times at the nickel position. He's trying different things. And you do still have Levi Wallace in the fold."
It is not a simple apples-to-apples comparison when you look at two cornerback rookies on the same team according to Foster. Fans shouldn't assume that just because Trice was impressive doesn't mean that he's "better than" Porter.
"If Trice does get out there, some guys learn different. Some guys play adjustments a little bit different too. I wouldn't judge it off the fact that he's better than Joey Jr. if he's out there on the field a little bit sooner. Maybe it's a personnel situation."
Kovacevic, who has been attending OTAs, is not allowed to share specific information about plays. He was able to put in some general terms that he was impressed by what Trice did. He also cautioned that no one on the Steelers staff is going to be too terribly concerned about anything they see until we get to Latrobe. However, he did share that he saw Trice performing in such a way that he was able to have an impact on the passing game.
So what do you think? How much of a shot do you think Trice has against Porter? Do you think they will both start? Or will both get worked into some three-corner packages with Peterson? Do you think Peterson will move inside? Do you feel more confident than you did when we still had Sutton? How do you think these three stack up against Sutton et al from last year? Tell us what is on your mind!
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