Steelers news: Cory Trice Jr. headed to IR, two defensive backs signed, and more

It's been a rough couple of days for hopeful Pittsburgh Steelers fans. While the thrill of the wild catch by George Pickens over Joey Porter Jr. had us riding sky-high, we learned of some devastating news on Wednesday.

It was another eventful padded practice for Pittsburgh with plenty of positives to take away, as well as some exciting one-on-one action. After making some changes in the backfield, Omar Khan elected to do the same in the secondary. Here's the latest Steelers news.

Steelers news:

On Tuesday, Cory Trice Jr. went down with a non-contact injury that didn't look good. He was ultimately helped onto the cart and he hung his head as he rode away from the field. On Wednesday, Steelers Nation received some disheartening news: the team had officially placed Trice on the Reserved/Injured List, Teresa Varley of Steelers.com reports.

This wasn't an unexpected move, but we were hopeful that the injury wasn't as bad as the original prognosis. Though the team has yet to expand on Trice's injury at this point in time, we can assume that the damage (presumably to his right knee) is pretty severe. Sadly, Trice won't be part of the plan for the time being.

More Steelers news:

In an effort to replace Trice and offer some depth to the defensive backfield, the Steelers recently signed two players: cornerback Isaiah Dunn and safety Trenton Thompson. Dunn was a former Oregon State product who originally signed with the Jets following the 2021 NFL Draft. At 5'11'' and 189 pounds, Dunn doesn't have the same body type as Trice (6'3'', 206), but he is an impressive athlete with 4.38 speed and a 10'7'' broad jump.

Thompson, on the other hand, did not test as a great athlete coming out of college. The former San Diego State product first signed with the Giants as an undrafted rookie in 2022 and spent time on their practices quad. At 6'1'' and 196 pounds, Thompson ran just a 4.61 at his Pro Day to go with a pedestrian 7.2 20-yard shuttle.

These two additions are getting a bit of a late start and will be long shots to ultimately crack the 53-man roster. However, it's worth noting that there could potentially be one more spot up for grabs in the secondary now that Cory Trice is on IR.

NFL news:

Pittsburgh Steelers fans aren't the only ones who have seen George Pickens' insane catch circulating on Twitter. Multiple media outlets, including NFL Network and NBC Sports, are raving about the spectacular play he was able to make during Tuesday's practice.

This outstanding reception is just one more to add to the highlight reel that he has started to assemble since his freshman season at Georgia. Now the talks of his limitless ceiling are swirling once again.