Steelers CB believes injury history has been a 'good thing' with recovery

Second-year cornerback Cory Trice Jr.'s rookie season ended before it started, tearing his ACL in the first padded practice of training camp last year.

Trice is finally back on the field after a long 10 months of rehab, a process that he says went better thanks to suffering a similar injury at Purdue in 2021.

"It was actually a good thing because I knew what to expect," Trice said. "Going into it, I knew each month what all to expect."

The former seventh-round pick revealed he is not cleared quite yet, but by the time training camp rolls around he'll "be ready to go."

Trice may have become the forgotten name in the Steelers' 2023 NFL Draft class, especially with the emergence of draft classmate Joey Porter Jr. However, some believed Trice looked better than Porter Jr. did this time last year.

Porter Jr. went on to establish himself as one of the NFL's best up-and-coming cornerbacks, shadowing the opposing team's No. 1 wide receivers on a weekly basis. After seeing how his rookie season played out, Trice is more confident than ever.

"Seeing him go out there and do it just gave me more confidence coming into this year," Trice added.

Porter Jr. seems to have one of Pittsburgh's outside cornerback roles locked up, but who will play opposite him seems to be up for grabs.

The Steelers traded for former Panthers CB Donte Jackson this offseason, but he must prove he's more deserving than some of the team's younger options.

Trice knows his time will come to make the case it should be him.

"I'm just trying to get better every day," Trice finished. "I know once I'm out there. Everything will take care of itself."