The Pittsburgh Steelers have a serious problem at a position fans didn't expect: cornerback. During the 2025 offseason, general manager Omar Khan handed veteran CB Darius Slay a one-year, $10 million deal in free agency before trading for Jalen Ramsey. Sadly, their efforts to bolster the position with aging options haven't paid off.
While Ramsey has been the best cornerback on the Steelers this year, that's been a rather easy bar to clear. The former All-Pro still possesses physicality as a run defender and ball skills in the passing game. Unfortunately, Joey Porter Jr. hasn't progressed in year three as the team would have hoped, and Slay's performance has been a nightmare.
Entering Week 8, Slay has surrendered 20 receptions on 28 targets for 302 yards and two touchdowns, while failing to earn an interception, per Pro Football Focus. This equates to a 130.4 passer rating allowed by opposing quarterbacks. Meanwhile, Slay has already been credited with six missed tackles on the season.
At 34 years old, Slay is two years older than any starting cornerback in the NFL, and his time as a starter needs to come to an end. The Steelers don't realize how badly they need a young cornerback on their roster to fill the void.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could soon call on Cory Trice Jr. at cornerback
Cory Trice Jr. is infamous for his concerning injury history. The talented cornerback suffered multiple season-ending injuries in college. This was before tearing his ACL in his first NFL training camp and suffering multiple hamstring injuries that have limited his games played since 2024.
Trice's latest injury was a hamstring suffered during Pittsburgh's Friday Night Lights practice in training camp this year, just before the start of the preseason. Because of his constant health issues, you can only trust Trice as far as you can throw him.
Unfortunately, the Steelers' cornerback situation has been so bad that this team doesn't have a choice. Mike Tomlin said this week that Trice will return to the field soon. The Steelers have not officially opened Trice's 21-day practice window yet, but we can expect this news to be announced soon.
When on the field and healthy (which has been an admittedly small sample), Trice has been excellent—proving that he has all of the talent to be a high draft pick, if not for the overwhelming injury history.
At 6'3'' and 206 pounds with long arms, great ball skills, and impressive change-of-direction ability, there's always been a ton of talent to work with when it comes to Trice. Now it's a matter of getting on the field and staying there.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are discovering why it's so challenging to have a good defense with one of the oldest secondaries in the NFL. Cory Trice should return to the field within the next few weeks, and if Darius Slay is still struggling, Tomlin should make a change.