An injury has cost once-promising Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cory Trice Jr. another full season.

A 4 p.m. deadline Wednesday to activate Trice to the 53-man roster passed, meaning by rule, Trice will not play for the Steelers this season. The 6-foot-3, 206-pound cornerback opened the regular season on the injured reserve list because of a hamstring ailment suffered during training camp. Trice returned to practice Oct. 29 but suffered a knee injury the following day and has not practiced since.

Wednesday marked the end of a 21-day window after returning to practice during which the Steelers had to activate Trice or he would be relegated to remaining on IR through the end of the season.

This season marks the second of three for Trice as a pro in which he has not played at all. His rookie 2023 campaign was cut short by a torn ACL in his right knee suffered early during that year’s training camp.

Trice missed all but two games of his 2021 junior season at Purdue because of a torn ACL in his left knee. He also missed time in college because of a high-ankle sprain and at one point in high school suffered a broken ankle.

During the only NFL season he has played – last year – Trice was limited to six games because of a hamstring ailment that landed him on IR.

A seventh-round pick in 2023, Trice will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2026.

Short on cornerbacks, the Steelers signed veteran Asante Samuel Jr. to their practice squad last week.

Plumlee signed

The Steelers announced a practice-squad transaction Wednesday, adding John Rhys Plumlee while releasing undrafted rookie safety Jack Henderson.

While the Steelers list Plumlee both in their transactions and on their roster as a wide receiver, Plumlee has quarterback capability. He played QB at both Ole Miss and UCF and spent all of the 2024 training camp with the Steelers splitting reps between quarterback and receiver.

With Aaron Rodgers mending from a broken wrist, the Steelers plan to use Plumlee as practice depth at quarterback. Also a standout college baseball player, Plumlee is athletic enough to mimic Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams during the practice week headed into Sunday’s Steelers game at the Bears.

Henderson joined the Steelers on Oct. 6 after initially signing with the Carolina Panthers after the completion of the April draft.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)