We don't often see fans get excited about a former seventh-round draft pick like the Pittsburgh Steelers have been about Cory Trice Jr. The Purdue product slipped in the 2023 NFL Draft due to a concerning injury history, and sadly, injuries plagued Trice in his first two seasons.
Now fully healthy and rearing to go, Trice spoke to the media ahead of the Steelers' first padded practice of training camp. The talented cornerback noted that he's feeling great and that he knows it's a 'take it or get lost' year for him. But the third-year cornerback dropped another little nugget we didn't expect.
Trice trained with and studied the habits of All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt during the 2025 offseason, according to Nick Farabaugh of PennLive. This could go a long way toward a successful season this year.
Cory Trice Jr. is learning from the best the Pittsburgh Steelers have to offer
It's not every day you hear of young Day 3 draft picks training with the face of the franchise and future Hall of Famer, T.J. Watt. The eight-year veteran edge rusher tends to keep his life mostly quiet outside of football. But the fact that he's taken Trice under his wing is saying something.
Though Trice and Watt don't play the same positions, Watt knows a thing or two about workout regimens, and he's shared that knowledge with Trice after training together during the offseason.
Trice is a player who can't afford any more major injury setbacks. His entire rookie season was lost due to an ACL tear that occurred in his first training camp. When he returned to the field in Year 2, Trice suffered a significant hamstring pull in Week 4 of the 2024 season and missed 11 straight games.
Watt is no stranger to injuries either. The former Wisconsin product dealt with a string of knee injuries in college and underwent at least one surgery to repair ligaments in his right knee. At one point, he even considered quitting football. This all occurred before he ever put on his Pittsburgh Steelers threads in 2017.
In the NFL, Watt suffered a pectoral tear and had arthroscopic knee surgery in 2022, only to return to the field in 2023 and earn First-Team All-Pro honors while finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Now entering his third season, Trice is hoping to avoid the injury bug that has followed him from college until now. Training with the best in the business is a great step. At 6'3'' and 206 pounds with long arms and 4.47 speed, Trice is loaded with talent, and the big cornerback has displayed impressive hip fluidity for his size.
Though the additions of Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey make Trice, at best, the fourth cornerback on the roster, the 25-year-old is on a mission to prove that he's the real deal and is a starting-caliber cornerback in the NFL.
This is easier said than done, and it will require opportunities to see the field. But at least he's got the best possible mentor and training partner in his corner. That has to count for something.