Steelers' Promising Young Defender Never Got The Chance To Truly Prove Himself

The Pittsburgh Steelers are not very familiar with having a head coach who is not focused on the defensive side of the ball. After Mike Tomlin made the surprising decision to step down in January, fans believed the new guy coming in would be a little less experienced, but continue the tradition that the organization has kept up for so many years. Instead, Mike McCarthy was named the man for the job in a rather shocking twist. Now, as he pays close attention to the offense, a lot more eyes will be on new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham as he takes the reins of the unit.

Graham is inheriting a veteran group that has plenty of talent. It is consistently one of the highest-paid throughout the league, so the hope is that he can get the most out of the collective. Tomlin was often lauded as a motivator and players' coach; however, his defenses came up short from time to time, particularly in the big moments of the postseason dating back to 2017.

What should be fascinating is seeing how Graham and his staff work with all of the returning players. A lot of the top-notch contributors will continue to wreak havoc on game days, but there are role players that might see their games elevated. On the other hand, a new regime is not going to play favorites or politics when it comes to who is getting the opportunities.

That has the ability to seriously affect certain young players that are still trying to find their footing. One of those individuals is Cory Trice Jr., the former seventh-round selection that has been hurt by injuries early on in his career. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hosted a fan chat on Tuesday and when he was asked about the cornerback's future, the response was pretty bleak.

"It will be tough for him," Fittipaldo wrote. "The previous coaching staff really liked him, but this is a new staff. He'll have to start over. I'm not sure how many other teams would have kept Trice around with all of his injuries. The Steelers kept him for a reason, but this is a do-or-die year for him."

What Fittipaldo didn't know at the time of his chat was that Trice would be waived with a filed physical just hours after. It is unfortunate conclusion to his rookie contract with the Steelers.

The Steelers' secondary is pretty packed as it is and the organization used a Day 2 pick on Daylen Everette. Pair that fact with a new staff coming to town, and it was always going to be very difficult for Trice to make the 53-man roster. His injury history didn't help either, as Fittipaldo noted. Trice might have had Tomlin and co. on his side, but this is clearly a completely different situation entering 2026, particularly because he couldn't pass a physical.

It's unfortunate that Trice battled so many ailments throughout his tenure in the Steel City. He had the upside to really become a contributor at some point, but it can't always work out perfectly. He will now have to be focused on getting to a point where he can be healthy so another organization has the confidence to make the low-risk, high-reward move of bringing him on.

Despite going through injuries in recent years, Trice was going to have to prepare for his toughest training camp yet. He was a late-round selection, but was projected to go much earlier than he did back in 2023. Now, he will be fighting for a roster spot elsewhere as he begins to look for a new home. It's rather unfortunate, considering the fact that he had some good moments in recent training camps.

Trice has only played in six total games throughout his career even though he has technically been an NFL player for three total seasons. That is going to worry any coaching staff, but a new one that has no ties to him was always going to potentially push him off to the side, and him not being healthy in May just made it that much easier.

Steelers Could One Day Regret Moving On From Trice

With the decision to waive Trice, the organization could one day look back and be upset about making the move, even though it was kind of forced due to him not passing a physical. At 6'3", Trice is as long as they come for a cornerback and has some solid traits. If he happens to latch on elsewhere and stay healthy, he could end up being a very solid practice squad addition for another NFL franchise that eventually gives him a chance to play every single week.

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