When Pittsburgh Steelers fans learned that Cory Trice Jr. had gone down in training camp with another soft tissue injury, they were instantly concerned. The former seventh-round draft pick has had remarkable physical gifts, but injuries have plagued him from his time at Purdue until now in his third NFL season.
Trice went down with a hamstring injury in the second week of the preseason and hasn't made his way back to the field. Head coach Mike Tomlin recently offered an update on Trice's status... and it's anything but encouraging.
Tomlin confirmed that 'Trice is going to be out a while', per PennLive's Nick Farabaugh. This is the last thing we wanted to hear.
In a recent video, Farabaugh talked about how Trice could be the odd man out at the cornerback position—pointing to his absence with the hamstring injury as a reason he could miss the 53-man roster. This is the last thing that fans wanted to hear.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may be forced to end the Cory Trice Jr. experiment after Mike Tomlin's latest injury update
We don't know how long it will be until Cory Trice can see the field again at full strength. Maybe he works his way back onto the field before the end of the preseason. But based on recent history, this doesn't look good.
In 2024, Trice pulled up lame with a hamstring injury while running down a punt in Week 3 against the LA Chargers. This soft tissue injury was so severe that it caused him to miss the next 11 games before finally seeing the field again in Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens.
If Trice's injury is anywhere near as severe this time around, that could be it for the talented 2023 draft pick. There's a saying in the NFL that 'the best ability is availability,' and that is something Trice has never been able to offer this team.
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The harsh reality is that Trice appears to be made of glass. It was his brutal injury history (season-ending knee and ankle injuries) that caused him to slip to the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Then, during his first training camp in 2023, Trice suffered another ACL tear.
When he was on the field last season, Trice impressed. His game against the Denver Broncos in Week 2 was phenomenal and included a game-saving interception in the end zone. Unfortunately, Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff have no reason to trust that Trice can stay on the field. Though they've praised him highly in the past, the Steelers could opt for a more stable option to round out their depth at cornerback.
It's a shame that it has to be this way. Cory Trice Jr. has the prototype size, tools, and talent to be a starting boundary cornerback in the NFL. Even with the additions of Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay this offseason, it looked like Trice was on the fast track to be the team's 'dime backer'.
Sadly, the latest discouraging injury update could be the writing on the wall for Trice's career with the Steelers. He needs to get back to the field sooner than expected if he wants a shot at sticking around on the 53-man roster in 2025.