The cornerback room for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been completely revamped this offseason. Following the departure of Cam Sutton in free agency, concerns loomed large. General Manager Omar Khan responded with an out-of-nowhere signing in the form of veteran Patrick Peterson. Then, he got two steals at the position in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Suddenly, the position group looks pretty deep. Just a few days into OTAs, and they are proving just that. Rookie seventh-rounder Cory Trice Jr., one of the biggest steals in the draft, has impressed thus far. The Purdue product was expected to go in the middle rounds, but somehow fell all the way to the final round. Now, he's already showing his true talent.
Just a few weeks ago, he spoke about his desire to prove people wrong after how the draft went down. Originally, he expected to go in the first few rounds with an even small chance of going in the opening round. In fact, safety Damontae Kazee gave Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 93.7 a stat line for Trice on Thursday.
"I knew what he could do - I saw his highlights [at Purdue], all of them. But he showed it today: three pass breakups and [an interception]," Kazee said via Adamski.
At this point, despite being a seventh-rounder, it feels like Trice is trending towards being a lock to make the 53-man roster. Again, it's rare for a seventh-rounder to be considered a "lock" to make the Week 1 squad, especially this early in the summer. His talent is undeniable though, as he presents a higher upside than a guy like James Pierre. It's important to not overhype things in OTAs, but the early signs of the Trice draft pick are awfully encouraging.
Steelers corners already making plays
Perhaps the biggest weakness from Pittsburgh's cornerbacks the last few years has been their ability to generate turnovers. Joe Haden was decent at it, but other than him, the cornerbacks have lacked an ability to make plays on the ball. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has inflated the team's interception numbers the past few seasons, but Trice could possibly help in that department in 2023 and beyond.
Now referring back to Peterson, the eight-time Pro Bowler has already made an impact in Pittsburgh. Beyond his on-the-field play, he will provide a ton of leadership to the youngsters on the team, specifically in the cornerback room. On Thursday, he was seen taking snaps in the slot, which has been seen as the weakness of the group. After the release of Arthur Maulet, the slot corner position was suddenly up for grabs.
Peterson has played on the outside for his whole 12-year career, but with a talented group of guys on the outside, moving him to the inside could be beneficial. If anything, he could bounce back and forth between the two different roles. Chandon Sullivan remains the most experienced option in the slot, but he has struggled in coverage in his NFL career so far.
While Trice has been the rookie that has gotten most of the attention, Joey Porter Jr. got some first-team reps on Thursday. With Peterson playing some in the slot, Porter was able to get some reps on the outside with the first-team. That could be the Week 1 trio at corner with Porter and Levi Wallace on the outside and Peterson on the inside. Those are the team's three best guys at the position, but they are all natural outside corners.
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