Steelers Likely To Make Tough Decision Between CBs Cory Trice Jr And Donte Jackson Against Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the last four games of the season riddled with injuries. Some of the players banged up included stars like George Pickens, Larry Ogunjobi, Justin Fields, DeShon Elliott, and Donte Jackson. That, combined with numerous other factors, led to a four-game slide, leaving the Steelers 10-7 after starting the season 10-3.   

In the last loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, nearly everyone critical was back except Jackson, who has been struggling with a back injury. This is good news, considering they will play the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card game in the playoffs. Jackson has been a key defensive member since being traded for Diontae Johnson during the 2024 offseason. 

During his weekly press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin said that Jackson "feels good," but that does not mean he will play against the Ravens on Saturday night just yet. With Jackson out against the Bengals, Cory Trice Jr. got his first professional start. While Jackson has the finesse of a veteran that Trice lacks, Trice has size in his favor. At 6'3", he is about five inches taller than Jackson, who is 5'10". 

On a recent episode of Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show on 102.5 WDVE, longtime Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was asked if they will continue to use Trice because they "are enamored" with his size advantage, even if Jackson is healthy. 

"I don't know so much that they're just gonna play him because they're enamored," said Dulac. "If Donte Jackson is healthy, he will play. I think Cory Trice, for a guy who didn't play last year, I think he's been ok. I think he's a guy they feel they can develop, but they're not worried about developing him now, they're worried about winning games, and so if Donte Jackson is ready, he will go."

The Steelers drafted Trice in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He showed exciting promise, and he and fellow cornerback Joey Porter Jr. were dubbed "The Avatars" because of their similar size and stature. 

Unfortunately, Trice suffered an ACL tear and missed his entire rookie season. Fans were excited to have him return for 2024. However, he once again suffered an injury. It was his hamstring in Week 3 this time, and he was out until Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns. 

Having him return to split reps with James Pierre when Jackson went down was a relief. As a prize for getting healthy, he was matched up against one of the best receivers in the league, Ja'Marr Chase. While he allowed the Bengals' first touchdown, so has nearly every other defensive back in the league who has tried to cover Chase. His biggest mistake was a defensive holding on Chase just before the half that negated T.J. Watt's strip sack. 

Steelers Unlikely To Fire Key Defensive Staff Member

After losing four games in a row to finish the season, the usual anti-Tomlin group has gotten louder than ever. Despite never having a losing season, they want him fired along with his entire coaching staff. 

Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show said that isn't likely to happen, especially with Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin. He pointed out that the Steelers do not operate that way, just moving on from coaches. Austin still has another year left on his contract, too. 

While the Steelers' defense is currently ranked 12th, they were the top-ranked total defense at the start of the season and remained in the top five for multiple weeks. Their defense started to trend downward about the same time the offense struggled to move the ball. Kaboly also noted that Tomlin plays a major part in the defense. 

What do you think of how Trice is playing? Click to comment below. 

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