The Pittsburgh Steelers faced a decision in the middle of this week — if the team wanted cornerback Cory Trice Jr. to return, it had to place him on the active roster by Wednesday.
Steelers Depot reported, according to the NFL’s transaction sheet, that didn’t happen. Therefore, Trice will spend the rest of the 2025 season on injured reserve.
The Steelers opened Trice’s 21-day practice window on October 29. NFL teams are only permitted to activate players to their roster within the 21-day window. Otherwise, they are ineligible to dress or practice the rest of the season.
There aren’t a lot of details about why the Steelers didn’t active Trice. Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora wrote Wednesday that it was “presumably” because of a knee injury he sustained on October 30.
Trice missed the beginning of the 2025 regular season due to a hamstring injury. But a day after returning from that ailment, Trice suffered a knee issue.
The cornerback hasn’t practiced since then.
In six career NFL games, Trice has posted 21 combined tackles, including one tackle for loss. He also has two pass defenses and one interception.
CB Cory Trice Out for the Rest of the 2025 NFL Season
Trice showed great promise in his first spring camp with the Steelers. The team drafted the cornerback at No. 241 overall in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
But early in 2023 training camp, Trice suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, which ended his rookie campaign.
Last season, Trice again showed great promise. His interception came in Week 2 while playing 20 defensive snaps against the Denver Broncos.
But after Week 3, the cornerback landed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He didn’t return until December 21.
During the final three games of 2024, Trice averaged 55 defensive snaps per week. However, he was unable to build upon his role because of another hamstring injury this summer.
Now with a knee problem again, Trice will watch the rest of the 2025 season.
Trice is under contract for one more year. But it’s worth wondering how much the Steelers will be willing to count on Trice being available next season. The answer to that question could depend on how serious the cornerback’s knee injury is.
Steelers CB Depth Entering Week 12
Getting Trice back in the fold would have been beneficial for the Steelers. But the team has decent cornerback depth remaining and could be getting a boost from the practice squad soon.
The Steelers have moved Jalen Ramsey to safety, but they still have Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay at cornerback. Slay missed Week 11, but he is trending toward playing Sunday.
In his absence the past six quarters, James Pierre has played very well. The Steelers also have Brandin Echols, who has been inconsistent but has also shined at times in 2025.
On November 11, the Steelers added Asante Samuel Jr. to their practice squad as well. Samuel hasn’t played in an NFL game in more than a year. He underwent offseason spinal-fusion surgery.
Once back in football shape, though, the Steelers are expected to turn to Samuel for additional depth.
Pittsburgh will visit the Chicago Bears on November 23. The Steelers own a 1-12 record at Chicago in their history. The last time the Steelers played at Soldier Field was 2017.
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