With the Pittsburgh Steelers just getting started with offseason team activities this week, fans are getting excited seeing the black and gold back on the field. After having another solid draft in 2024, the Steelers are only left with a couple of positions that may need to be focused on more than others. The two that stand out the most currently are wide receiver and cornerback. Pittsburgh will need some guys in the cornerback room to really step up in 2024, and Steelers' defender Joey Porter Jr. has a lot of confidence in Cory Trice Jr.
Porter and Trice both were selected by Pittsburgh in the 2023 NFL Draft, but only one of them was able to get onto the field. Porter Jr, a second-rounder, and Trice Jr, a seventh, have similar physical traits, which gives some promise for Trice considering how well Porter's rookie season went. Very early on in 2023 training camp had an apparent and unfortunate knee injury that would ultimately end his rookie season.
Trice's early injury brought an immense amount of disappointment not only for the fans, but for the coaches too. Coming out of Purdue, Trice's size brought a lot of optimism and speculation. Most fans were hoping he would turn out as a starter in 2023, and emerge as one of the biggest steals in the draft. Now, the team is back to square one, which is seeing if he can turn out to be an asset to the defense. Trice isn't fully cleared yet of his previous injury, but he's dang close.
Porter is the only current corner on the roster that has proven himself and is guaranteed to be on the field consistently in 2024. That gives a lot of opportunities to others on the roster, like Trice. While Porter spoke to the media during Organized Team Activities this week, he was asked about what advice he has been giving to Trice.
"I've just been telling him the same thing, like if I could do it I know you could do it. Like, we're basically the same body type. We know what we can do on the field and we're just trying to do that same thing on the field together."
According to team's official website, Trice is marked at 6'3" and 206 pounds. Porter is listed as 6'2" and 193 pounds, however he reported that he has raised his weight to around 205. Steeler Nation now has another reason to be excited about Porter's growth, and with the possibility of him and Trice turning into the future at cornerback for Pittsburgh.
Steelers' Cornerback Competition Will Be One To Keep An Eye On
With Porter being CB1, following that it is all pretty much question marks. Behind Porter will likely be Donte Jackson, who was acquired via trade for wideout Diontae Johnson. This is where we expect guys like Trice to step up, where he can be a reliable CB3. If not Trice, it will come down to guys like Anthony Averett, Beanie Bishop Jr, Ryan Watts or Darius Rush that will have to take on a bigger role.
Aside from the current quarterback competition, the corner room will be one of the most intriguing this offseason for the Steel City. The Steelers are just a few pieces away from having the most dominant defense in the NFL, and depth at cornerback is one of them.
With the new 2024 schedule coming out, the Steelers will have a gauntlet after their bye week. In the last eight weeks, Pittsburgh will be facing some of the most dynamic offenses in the league, and having a weak cornerback room would create a major problem.
