With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ final preseason outing behind them, all eyes will be on the upcoming August 26 roster cutdown as head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan decide how they’d prefer to drop down to 53 players.
Of course, there are different loopholes and ways to retain more than 53 at the initial cutdown. The new NFL IR rules are particularly helpful.
According to NFL Operations, teams are allowed “to designate two players for return [from the injured reserve] at the roster reduction to 53 players.” And you no longer have to cut those players before shifting them to IR.
During a recent 53-man projection, Steelers Now beat reporter Alan Saunders noted that he expects Pittsburgh to use one of those returning injured reserve slots on cornerback and 2023 seventh-round pick Cory Trice Jr.
“Cory Trice remains out with a hamstring injury, and right now, it’s hard to see him making the 53-man roster,” Saunders wrote. Predicting: “I’ve got the Steelers stashing him on the injured reserve to start the season, and taking it from there.”
Similarly, the Steelers Now reporter believes 2025 seventh-rounder Donte Kent — another injured cornerback — could be stashed on the injured reserve. Except in the case of Kent, Saunders predicted a “season-ending designation after a more serious foot/ankle injury.”
This would effectively transform Kent’s rookie year into a redshirt campaign, but perhaps that’s for the best. The Steelers’ depth chart is stacked at cornerback, and even if the first-year draft pick did make the Week 1 roster, he would likely be a gameday inactive every week.
Neither Trice nor Kent suited up for the Steelers’ preseason finale versus the Carolina Panthers.
Cory Trice’s Injury-Ravaged Steelers Career Continues Down Familiar Road Ahead of Roster Cutdown
Trice has been a very unfortunate case for Pittsburgh. He’s always displayed the talent to perform at the NFL level, but his body just has not held up at all.
Trice tore the ACL in his right knee during his first training camp with the Steelers. This was the second time that he suffered a torn ACL, having torn the same ligament — except in his left knee — in college.
Last season, the 25-year-old cornerback also spent the majority of the campaign on IR with a hamstring injury. He took the field for 6 regular season games in 2024.
Trice is currently dealing with another hamstring injury this summer.
Steelers Draft Pick Donte Kent Was Seen in a Walking Boot Throughout the Preseason
As Saunders stated, Kent’s injury appears to be even more serious than Trice’s. The drafted rookie has not practiced in quite some time, and he’s been seen wearing a walking boot throughout training camp and the preseason.
Saunders shared a picture of Kent in his protective boot on August 5.
The Steelers have five virtual locks to make the 53-man roster at cornerback, including camp standouts James Pierre and Brandin Echols. They also have a very competitive sixth option in second-year UDFA Beanie Bishop Jr.
In his roster projection, Saunders noted that “while Echols might have made Bishop somewhat redundant, I still expect the Steelers to keep six cornerbacks, and there isn’t anyone else that appears to be threatening to make the team in his place.”
That’s, in part, because Trice and Kent have been unavailable.
Who knows, maybe a healthy Kent could have given Bishop a run for his money in a head-to-head backup nickelback battle, but there’s a more likely scenario where Bishop beats out Kent and Pittsburgh is forced to waive a draft pick.
Perhaps the rookie’s injury is a blessing in disguise.
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