Steelers Cory Trice Jr. Not Yet Fully Cleared, But Optimistic He Isn't Far Off

Football is finally here, as the Pittsburgh Steelers started OTAs this week which is the first time a large portion of the team put on the Black and Gold and worked together in quite some time. Being optional, who is present to participate and who isn't is often the biggest storyline as opposed to any actual workouts or drills Steeler Nation will see this time of year. 

One member of the team that there is a lot of optimistic hype around is second-year cornerback Cory Trice Jr., who the Steelers drafted in the seventh round in the 2023 NFL Draft. It was reported that Trice was in attendance during the first practice this summer, which is a very positive sign given he suffered a torn ACL on the first day of padded practices in training camp last season. 

Despite Trice already taking part in practices, Trice let it be known that he isn't fully cleared yet and isn't able to take part in any contact drills just yet. Trice did note that he expects to be fully cleared by training camp, which is a very realistic goal considering that'll be nearly a full calendar year since the injury. 

Depending on when Trice is able to get up to full speed and take part in all activities, there is a good chance he will get some chances to prove himself given the questionable state of the Steelers' secondary, specifically the cornerback group. 

Outside of another second-year player in Joey Porter Jr., who the team drafted with the 32nd overall pick last season and performed admirably as a rookie, the players Trice will be fighting for a role aren't guaranteed anything. The rest of the cornerbacks on the roster are all new faces outside of Darius Rush, who was added late in the 2023 season and is only in his third season as well. 

That turnover within the cornerback position group gives Trice a solid opportunity to prove himself and earn a role, assuming he can stay healthy. That is far from given considering one of the main reasons he fell to the Steelers in the seventh round was due to a lengthy injury history in college. 

Even if Trice is unable to carve out a role at the beginning of the season on defense, there should still be opportunities for him elsewhere on the team. The Steelers don't take the ability to perform well on special teams lightly, and they currently have holes on multiple units as some key players, namely Miles Boykin and James Pierre, signed elsewhere in free agency. Trice is athletic and physical enough to be able to perform well on the special teams units, but will need to prove he can be reliable with his open field tackling if that is a role he is given the opportunity to lock down. 

Steelers Could Still Look To Add To Cornerback Room Given Uncertainty At The Position

There current state of the Steelers' cornerback room definitely raises some eyebrows because of the turnover, but also because of the players they added due to their up and down careers to this point. The Steelers traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson earlier this offseason, but even Jackson has had highs and lows that make some wonder if he is truly the locked in starter opposite Porter. 

One member of the Steelers 2023 cornerback group has already expressed desire to rejoin the team, and that is none other than Patrick Peterson, who currently remains a free agent. He mentioned that he hopes to get a deal done with the Steelers as he has a tremendous amount of success for Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his ability to win games. While that may be true, I am sure Peterson is also looking at opportunities around the league, and the Steelers are also one of the few teams where he might be able to step in and contribute significantly on defense, especially given his experience in multiple roles with the team last season. 

If Peterson were to rejoin the team, which it is unclear if the interest is mutual at this point, at a minimum the team would have some veteran depth to help a relatively young group.