Steelers In Jeopardy Of Losing Promising Young Defender For Season Again

The Pittsburgh Steelers have dealt with their fair share of injuries already during the 2025 NFL season, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Guys like Alex Highsmith, Derrick Harmon, Joey Porter Jr., DeShon Elliott, Jabrill Peppers, Chuck Clark, and Cole Holcomb have all missed multiple games due to injuries or illness. One young Steelers defender has battled injuries for the first three years of his career, and his time in the Steel City could be coming to an end if he can't find his way on the field soon.

The Steelers drafted Cory Trice Jr. out of Purdue in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Trice missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL during training camp, and he finally saw the field during the 2024 season. Trice played in six games in 2024, compiling 21 tackles and intercepting one pass, but injuries have piled up and kept him on Injured Reserve (IR) through the first 10 weeks of the 2025 campaign.

Even though the Steelers were hoping 2025 would be the year Trice finally stayed healthy long enough to show what he’s capable of, things just haven’t gone his way. Trice has made strides to return to play, but the team announced on Saturday morning that Trice would not suit up for the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The organization's Senior Director of Communications, Burt Lauten, posted about Trice's status on X.

"Steelers DB Cory Trice Jr. has been downgraded to OUT for Sunday's game (he is still in the IR 21-day window for return)," Lauten posted on X.

Trice's injury not only means that the Steelers will be short-handed at the cornerback position, but it also means that Trice's days in Pittsburgh could be numbered. The Steelers opened the 21-day return window for Trice to return from Injured Reserve, with those 21 days coming to an end on November 18th. By NFL rules, if Trice doesn't return to the team before Tuesday, he will be forced to miss the remainder of the 2025 season.

That puts the Steelers in a pretty tricky spot. On one hand, they don’t want to rush a young player onto the field before he’s fully ready, especially someone who’s dealt with major injuries like Trice has, but on the other hand, they can’t keep a roster spot tied up forever when the defense is already dealing with so many missing pieces. 

If Trice does manage to return before the deadline, even for limited snaps, it could completely change the tone of the situation. The Steelers would get a better look at what he can offer, and Trice would get the chance to show he’s still part of the team’s future. But right now, with the deadline closing in and his status still up in the air, things aren’t looking great.

Either way, the next few days might be the most important of his career so far. Whether he stays in Pittsburgh or ends up getting a fresh start somewhere else once the offseason rolls around, Trice is running out of time to prove he can stay on the field, and the Steelers are running out of time to decide whether they’re still willing to wait.

Steelers Sign Asante Samuel Jr. To Help With Depth At Cornerback

Pittsburgh recently landed free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., a talented defender whose career was interrupted by a major back injury. A 2021 second-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers, Samuel put together several productive seasons before being placed on Injured Reserve in 2024 and entering free agency. 

Samuel has totaled six interceptions and 176 tackles in nearly three seasons, and his versatility inside and outside fits what the Steelers need. He will start out on the practice squad, but expect him to see an increase in snaps as we approach the final stretch of the regular season.

#SteelerNation