Steelers rookie Cory Trice Jr. reportedly suffered torn ACL in training camp

Steelers rookie cornerback Cory Trice Jr. suffered a torn ACL during training camp and will miss the 2023 season, according to a report from Pro Football Network‘s Adam Caplan. He had been placed on injured reserve in early August.

Trice was drafted with the No. 24 pick in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

He attended Purdue where he made 24 starts in his career. As a redshirt senior in 2022, Trice was named to the All-Big Ten honorable mention team.

Trice was one of two Big Ten cornerbacks drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft along with former Penn State star Joey Porter Jr.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin praised the two defensive backs early in the summer at the end of minicamp.

“You know they’re sharp guys, the type of institutions they went to, the caliber of ball they played, it wasn’t much that we introduced to them schematically that they hadn’t already been exposed to,” Tomlin said. “Both sharp guys.”

Porter is listed as a backup cornerback on the depth chart to Patrick Peterson. Peterson, a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, is in his first season on the Steelers and is a great mentor for players like Porter and Trice.

NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein projected Trice to be a fourth or fifth round pick heading into draft.

“While he has legitimate strong safety size, Trice’s game is better suited for the cornerback position,” Zierlein said in his pre-draft scouting report. “He is physical in coverage but lacks the same temperament in run support. His size and strength help impede the early stages of a route and smother possession throws underneath. He’s a decent athlete but lacks ideal fluidity and speed to recover when beaten, so press and zone coverages are where he should live. While there are limitations, there is also room for technical growth to make him a better pro. He won’t be for everyone, but teams valuing size over speed will covet him as a middle-round pick with upside.”

Pittsburgh’s captain for the season will be second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett, veteran defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, star edge rusher T.J. Watt and safety/special teams leader Miles Killebrew.

Those four will lead the team on the field for Sunday’s season opener versus the San Francisco 49ers, who may be without star defender Nick Bosa. Bosa is currently holding out in hopes of securing a new contract.