Since Omar Khan and Andy Weidl took over as the heads of the Steelers' front office, Pittsburgh has had no trouble finding talent to bolster their roster. In fact, some would argue that this front office has drafted better than any other team over the past two years.
The Steelers are three for three on second-round picks under Khan and Weidl -- striking gold on cornerback Joey Porter Jr., defensive tackle Keeanu Benton, and center Zach Frazier. Meanwhile, mid-round picks like Nick Herbig, Darnell Washington, and Payton Wilson already look like key contributors.
But another talented draft pick was en route to make a big impact on defense in 2024.
Cory Trice Jr. had a concerning injury history at Purdue where he saw three of his five college seasons cut short due to major ailments and multiple leg injuries. After suffering an ACL injury as a rookie, Trice was attempting a triumphant comeback in 2024... and he was well on his way to being a key contributor.
In his first two games of the 2024 season, Trice allowed just nine receiving yards on 26 coverage snaps while intercepting a pass in the end zone against the Broncos. This equated to an outstanding 22.9 passer rating allowed in coverage.
Though this was a small sample size, the all-22 film displayed just how impressive he was playing early in the season, and his fantastic 90.1 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus in Week 2 confirmed what we witnessed on tape.
Trice had the makings of a dominant dime defender with the potential to start as a boundary cornerback. That's when the Steelers made a foolish decision with their young defensive back.
Steelers decision to overload Cory Trice led to unnecessary injury
As good as Cory Trice was every time he saw the field in the first two weeks, it wasn't enough for Mike Tomlin to unburden his young cornerback from special teams duties. Despite Trice's extensive history and the fact that he missed the entire 2023 preseason and regular season, he couldn't escape being a gunner on special teams.
Early in Pittsburgh's Week 3 contest against the LA Chargers, Trice pulled up lame while chasing down a punt and exited the game with a hamstring injury.
On September 24, Tomlin confirmed in his Tuesday press conference that Trice has already been ruled out for Pittsburgh's Week 4 road game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Many fans would argue the Steelers the right decision by deploying their injury-prone cornerback on special teams. After all, if he's not currently a starter, we know that backup defensive backs need to contribute to 'teams'. However, an exception should have been made for Trice.
Because of the laundry list of injuries he sustained and the fact that he missed his entire rookie season, Tomlin should have eased his workload and given the special teams gunner assignment to someone else. Players like Terrell Edmunds and Darius Rush were healthy scratches in Week 3, but both players are more than capable of filling this role.
While a decision like this would have forced the Steelers to cut back elsewhere on the roster (as each team is only allowed 45 active players on game day) it would have been worth it if it meant preserving the health of their promising young defensive back.
Trice has an exceptionally rare blend of traits for a cornerback. At 6'3'' and 206 pounds with outstanding fluidity, agility, and ball skills, there are only a handful of players like him in the NFL (and none can be found in the seventh round). From college to the pros, Trice displayed an outstanding feel for coverages and was rarely caught out of position.
A hamstring injury won't spell the end of the line for Cory Trice Jr. in Pittsburgh, but it's yet another significant setback in the development of an uber-talented draft pick. All of this could have been prevented if Mike Tomlin and the Steelers had been more concerned about Trice's health and longevity.