Key Steelers Defender Ruled Out vs. Browns

Despite being a full participant in practice this week, Pittsburgh Steelers second-year cornerback Cory Trice’s return will have wait, as the team ruled him out for Thursday night’s game against the Cleveland Browns.

With it being a short week, it appears that the Steelers did not want to rush Trice back. The former Purdue cornerback should return for the Steelers’ Week 13 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Trice has been out since suffering a hamstring injury while covering a punt against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 22. He was very near ready to play last week, but the Steelers chose not to reinstate him from the injured reserve after opening is 21-day practice window. Trice was a full participant in the team’s final two practices before their game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

“We opened the window for Cory Trice, as you guys know, last week, and he had a good week’s work and may be available to us,” Tomlin said on Monday. “And so we’ll see where that that leads us, as well.”

Between this year’s hamstring injury and an ACL injury that cost him his entire rookie season in 2023, Trice has played just three games in his Steelers career, but remains a player the club has high hopes for in terms of one day becoming a starter at the boundary cornerback position.

The Steelers’ seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Trice has been an exciting prospect since he joined the team, with 6-foot-3 size and advanced coverage technique for a player of his experience level. The idea of pairing Trice with another big, physical cornerback from the same draft class in Joey Porter Jr. could set the Steelers up at the position for years.

Though Trice was only a seventh-rounder, that hype was at least somewhat grounded in reality. Coming out of Purdue, he was expected to be an early Day Three or late Day Two draft pick, but fell due to injury concerns.

Those concerns have proven legitimate, with two major injuries and just three games played over two season. But as Trice rounds back into the fold at mid-season, the Steelers will certainly want to get more than a short glimpse of what he’s capable of.

Trice had a clutch red zone interception in the third quarter of the Steelers’ Week 2 win over the Denver Broncos. It also marked Trice’s first career interception. After missing his entire rookie season due to an ACL injury, Trice’s teammates were thrilled for him to get rewarded with a game-changing interception.

“Cory stepped up in the moment,” defensive tackle Cam Heyward said. “What a heck of a way for a guy who was hurt all last year to be ready for that moment and make a big play for us and keep seven (points) off the board.”

Steelers All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt was also proud of Trice.

“How about Cory Trice? All that he’s been able overcome. Just seeing all the work he puts in, to see him get that interception is huge,” Watt said.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS INJURY REPORT

STEELERS INJURED RESERVE

Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.