Steelers CB Cory Trice Pushing for Rapid Return from IR

PITTSBURGH — Cornerback Cory Trice will be making his return from injury for the Pittsburgh Steelers either this week or next week, assuming he does not have a setback as he begins to work his way back into the team’s rotation after a mid-season hamstring injury.

Trice is pushing for this week.

The second-year corner, who missed all of his rookie season in 2023 with an ACL injury, is chomping at the bit to get back into his shoulder pads after suffering a hamstring injury while covering a punt against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3. Trice remains on the injured reserve list, but expects to open his 21-day practice window this week. He said whether he plays this Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens will depend on how his injury reacts to a return to practice.

“We’ll just kind of let their participation be our guide in terms of whether or not they get back on the train or not, guys like Cory Trice, for example,” head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday.

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.

Starter Donte Jackson and backups Cam Sutton and James Pierre, the other players on the team’s 53-man roster that have played outside cornerback for the Steelers, are all on expiring contracts. The Steelers may want to hand that slot over to Trice long-term, but he’s going t0 have to string some performances together before they’ll be willing to take that kind of leap on an injury-prone player.

All the more reason that Trice wants to prove that he’s healthy sooner rather than later.

“I’m pushing for this week,” he said.

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