Pittsburgh, PA – August 3, 2025
Training camp is where new names emerge and dreams are either made or erased. Steelers fans pack the stands with excitement, tracking every rep, every rising star. But this week, all eyes weren’t on the highlight reels or the biggest hits. Some hearts quietly turned toward a name they hadn’t heard in a while — a name not etched in the headlines, but still etched in memory: Cory Trice Jr.
The 6’3” cornerback once stirred hope in 2023 camp. A seventh-round pick who looked like a Day 1 starter, Trice impressed coaches and fans alike. But just days in, his rookie season collapsed with a torn ACL. A year later, after months of rehab, he returned with a vow to give back what he owed the city that had believed in him. But then, heartbreak again — a hamstring injury during 2025 camp shut him down before he could even make his case.
While others battled for depth chart positions, Cory stood alone on the sideline, stretching slowly, wrapped in compression bands, distant from the intensity. Yet even in silence, the city remembered. During Friday Night Lights, as teammates ran red-zone drills under the stadium glow, a voice rang out from the bleachers: “We still believe in you, Trice!”
He turned, smiled faintly, and bowed his head. One coach later recalled that back in the locker room, Trice sat quietly with his phone in hand. On the screen was a message from his mother: “God didn’t forget you. Just get back up one more time.” And there, in the stillness of a concrete locker room, Cory Trice cried — not from pain, but from the weight of gratitude.
“I haven’t given this team much on the field yet,” he said later. “But the fans… the team… they’ve given me belief. And that’s something I’ll never forget.”
Trice isn’t asking for a starting job. He’s not even asking for a second chance. All he wants is one — one rep, one special teams snap, one opportunity to prove he belongs in black and gold. He knows the cornerback room is loaded, but he also knows what it means to be a Steeler: resilience over résumé.
“I want to be healthy — not just for myself, but to help this team bring home Super Bowl LX. That’s the dream. That’s what I owe everyone who didn’t give up on me.”
He’s not on the field yet. He may not even make the final 53. But for Steelers fans who believe in grit, in heart, in fighting through silence and setbacks — Cory Trice Jr. is already one of them.
