The Pittsburgh Steelers had hope when they drafted cornerback Cory Trice Jr. with the 241st pick in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. It was a low-risk gamble, as the CB had a history of injury. But three years later, the Steelers seem to have run out of patience. A week before the OTAs, Mike McCarthy and Co. have made a tough decision.

“Steelers have waived CB Cory Trice with a failed physical, per the transactions wire,” ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported on May 12. “Trice has dealt with a slew of knee and hamstring injuries since being drafted by the Steelers in the 2023 seventh round. He played in six games, starting one, in 2024.”

Back in 2021, Cory Trice first tore his ACL at Purdue. Even though he had managed to find a spot on an NFL roster after his college career, his pro journey was off to a bad start. During training camp in 2023, Trice tore his ACL again and missed the entirety of his rookie season.

He returned to the field next year after staying healthy through preseason. In the Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons, Trice made his NFL debut and logged seven defensive snaps. He didn’t make much noise that day, but things looked different a week later against the Denver Broncos. The gamble was paying off, even if it was for a short while. Trice recorded his first career interception.

But during Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Trice suffered a hamstring injury that put him on injured reserve through Week 15. The setback cost him nine games and limited his production to just 21 tackles, two pass deflections, one tackle for loss, and one interception during the season. Still, Trice showed resilience late in the season.

In Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals, he stepped into a difficult assignment after Donte Jackson went out. But Trice lined up against Bengals’ star receiver Ja’Marr Chase and played a career-high 69 snaps. The WR beat him early for a touchdown, but Trice settled afterwards and helped limit explosive plays from the offense. Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin even praised his effort afterward, and it looked like Trice might finally earn a fixed spot in the team.

But last year in training camp, Cory Trice suffered another hamstring injury and landed on injured reserve during final roster cuts. The Steelers opened their 21-day practice window in late October, and GM Omar Khan was hoping to get him back on the roster. But Trice injured his knee during that stretch and never returned. Because the Steelers didn’t activate him before the window closed, he spent the entire season on IR.

“It’s definitely frustrating, man, because I definitely felt like I put in all the work,” Trice said in an interview back in October last year. “I feel like I give the game everything I’ve got. I feel like I do right by the game, even when nobody’s watching, so when stuff like that happens, I just know I put my best foot forward, so I can even really be too mad. And I know I did everything I could. It’s just one of those things, like, damn, they got you. I make sure I come out on top, though, every time.”

Trice is only 25 years old and still has time to revive his career. But after his failed physical, Mike McCarthy had no choice but to move on. It’s a tough pill to swallow for the Steelers because the potential was there whenever he stayed healthy. Moreover, in his absence, the cornerback room grew so crowded that Trice had to be waived.

A look at the Steelers’ cornerback room

Last season, Cory Trice competed for two roster spots against cornerbacks Brandin Echols, Beanie Bishop, Donte Kent, and James Pierre. But injuries sidelined Trice and Kent, and Bishop was moved to the practice squad. So, it was Pierre and Echols who secured those jobs. And this offseason, Trice already faced an uphill battle to make the roster. 

In the 2026 NFL Draft, McCarthy selected CB Georgia corner Daylen Everette in the third round. Interestingly, Everette profiles similarly to Trice as a physical press corner, which only made Trice more expendable. At best, the latter was projected as the Steelers’ sixth cornerback behind Echols, Asante Samuel Jr., Jamel Dean, Joey Porter Jr., and Everette.

Steelers’ defensive coordinator Patrick Graham also prefers versatile defensive backs. Pittsburgh didn’t need to carry extra depth pieces who only play outside corner. Waiving Trice seemed like the most sensible call in such a situation.