The Pittsburgh Steelers have been dealing with injury concerns nonstop. However, now that the 2024 bye week has concluded, Pittsburgh is hoping to get many of those injured players back. Guys like Zach Frazier and Cordarrelle Patterson will get their chance to return and make some quality contributions to the team. Even with the Steelers being active on the trade market, the fact that so many players are getting healthy again will be just as substantial as guys coming in from other teams to solidify depth elsewhere.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Cory Trice Jr. ahead of a preseason matchup with the Houston Texans in 2024.
During his live Q&A session, Ray Fittipaldo released some more exciting news on the injury front, as he was asked about the status of Cory Trice Jr.
"[Mike] Tomlin said he has a chance this week," explained Fittipaldo. "He remains on IR, but they'll likely open his 21-day window tomorrow."
Trice showed flashes of what he could be during preseason and the first few weeks of the 2024 regular season. However, a hamstring injury took him out of their Week 3 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers, and he has been on Injured Reserve (IR) ever since. If he can come back and be fully healthy, it would be huge for the Steelers' secondary.
AP
Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. attempts to knock out the ball from Cory Trice Jr. during a team practice.
Just because Trice's practice window will most likely be open, that does not mean that he will play in Week 10. Head Coach Mike Tomlin did say he has a chance to do so, as Fittipaldo reported. For that to happen, Trice will have to prove that he has little-to-no limitations with his ability to play, even though he will likely have limited snaps.
Steelers Have Exercised Caution With This Same Scenario Already
Tyler Matakevich and Dylan Cook were both projected to come off of IR after practicing before their Week 8 game against the New York Giants. However, Tomlin opted to hold them both out and give them some more time to heal up. Cook even got released during the bye week, then brought back to the practice squad.
With that said, Trice will likely have to prove that he can play without much of a problem if he wants to come off of IR. If there is even the slightest issue, Tomlin will likely hold him out and give him another week to recuperate and practice. He has talked about creating "short-term misery" to keep players healthy before, and he could do it again.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' rookie cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. participate in the team's OTAs in Pittsburgh, PA.
With Trice's injury history, it makes sense that the Steelers would be extra cautious with him. He fell all the way to the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft due to his reputation of being injured a lot. He suffered a torn ACL in the 2023 preseason, which ended his season and only proved the narrative around him to be true.
His hamstring issue in 2024 has not helped matters either. He has already missed five games, not including the one where he suffered the injury. While he would be a significant upgrade to the Steelers' cornerback room, who knows how much they are willing to test his hamstring and risk aggravating it? With CJ Henderson recently getting promoted to the 53-man roster, they may give him some playing time and use that to judge how quickly they want/need to activate the young cornerback.
While Tomlin and Fittipaldo both said that it's a possibility that Trice plays in Week 10, it seems to be a very slim chance. With the upcoming schedule being irregular with all of the short and long weeks, the Steelers may wait until Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens or Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football before they let him get a helmet.
What do you think about Trice's 21-day practice window opening up? When do you think he will be activated from IR and get a chance to play? Let us know in the comments below.
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