Steelers' Developmental Corner Taking Strides at OTAs

The Pittsburgh Steelers have benefited from first-round picks on the offensive line and veteran stalwarts on the defensive line. At cornerback, though, the Steelers have relied largely on unproven talents at corner.

Second-round corner Joey Porter Jr. has been penciled in atop the depth chart. Behind him, Pittsburgh is searching for answers. It signed Super Bowl champion Darius Slay early in free agency and added fringe starter Brandin Echols. In the slot, Beanie Bishop Jr. will hope to entrench himself as a starter after flashing as a rookie.

One wild card in the secondary is developmental corner Cory Trice Jr., who, according to Mark Kaboly, is taking strides at the Steelers’ organized team activities (OTAs).

"You know who I wanna bring up is Cory Trice, too. He's a guy that if he can just stay healthy, I think has a very legit opportunity to be that DB two next year," Kaboly said. "He could be the long-term answer next to Joey Porter. My goodness does he just look the part. He's looking faster, quicker, he's looking more comfortable. But the injuries just tend to pile up on the guy. If he stays healthy, he has a chance to be a guy that not only helps this team out this year, but long-term in the future."

Trice, a 2023 seventh-round pick, saw his hype cut short by a torn ACL in his rookie season. He made his debut in 2024, playing in six games while logging an interception and two passes defended.

Trice played well in his limited action a season ago, but the small sample size wasn’t enough to lock in a starting role. He’ll have to play himself into Pittsburgh’s plans this summer, and it seems like it is going well thus far.

To his credit, Trice’s upside lends itself to multiple chances. At 6-3, 206 with adequate speed and impressive explosiveness metrics, Trice is a playmaker who may be on the verge of earning a starting job.

He’d have to leapfrog Slay, barring injury, so Kaboly’s expectations are measured. But if Pittsburgh needs reinforcement on the boundary, expecting Trice to be more than a replacement-level player seems increasingly reasonable.