Steelers Now
UNITY TWP, Pa. – Third-year Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cory Trice Jr. is carrying a big chip on his shoulder as he heads into the 2025 season. With the additions of big-name cornerbacks Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey, Trice has been flying under the radar.
“I really just wanna prove that I can just show that I can just help the team win. So that’s all we wanna do is just show them I can help the team win for real,” Trice said at St. Vincent College on Tuesday. “Offseason, I was just grinding, I was just running a lot and just make sure my body was ready for all this.”
Trice has been snake-bitten by the injury bug his entire playing career. His size and physicality make him an attractive dime backer or potential tight end eraser if he can stay on the field. The problem is that there’s not much evidence that he can do that, as unfortunate as it is. Once he was finally healthy enough to suit up, he was baptized by fire against the Bengals’ star receivers in the regular season finale.
The team’s seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Purdue, Trice missed his entire rookie season with an ACL injury. He played in just six games in 2024, missing 11 games due to a hamstring injury that occurred while covering a punt against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 22. Trice was on injured reserve for a significant portion of the season.
Trice has been a player with high hopes from the Steelers, despite being a seventh-round draft pick and has been considered by some a potential future starter.
“Just mentally, I’m just in a way better space with the knowledge I’ve been getting, I’ve been learning so many things from all the guys previously, like D-Jack and Pat P, and now I got Slay,” Trice said. “I’ve just been learning so much, and I already know my talent gonna show.”
Trice revealed that he trained with All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt this offseason. The two have formed a close bond over the years. Watt even gave Trice a shoutout during his first press conference this year and last year in Week 2 when Trice had a clutch red zone interception.
With mentors like Watt, Darius Slay and Ramsey, Trice is hoping to take that next step and have a breakout year in 2025. If he can stay healthy, Trice could make some noise.
Alan Saunders and Brendan Howe provided reporting from St. Vincent College.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Promising Steelers CB Hopes to Have Breakout Year in 2025
