Steelers CB Wants to Get Revenge on Ja'Marr Chase: ‘All I've Been Thinking About'
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers third-year cornerback Cory Trice Jr. looks forward to his rematch against Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase in 2025. Trice has a bad taste in his mouth after getting torched by Chase in the Steelers' Week 18 loss to Cincinnati.
'That's all I've been thinking about,' Trice said at OTAs on Tuesday. 'Because that was my last game out. I just don't want anybody to really just think of me as that last game because I'm way better than that. It stung a little bit. I'm still feeling it right now. That's really kind of my motivation going into next year. Just make sure I don't put no tape out there like that again.'
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Chase went off against the Steelers, recording 10 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Most of those receptions came on Trice.
'I don't think (coaches) was upset. Everybody, they actually was saying I did a good job and stuff like that,' Trice said. 'For me, I'm used to letting up nothing, so I was upset. I was really hard on myself. I done watched that game already like 10 times.'
Trice has been snake-bitten by the injury bug his entire playing career. His size and physicality make him an attractive dime backer or potential tight end eraser if he can stay on the field. The problem is that there's not much evidence that he can do that, as unfortunate as it is. Once he was finally healthy enough to suit up, he was baptized by fire against the Bengals' star receivers in the regular season finale.
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The team's seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Purdue, Trice missed his entire rookie season with an ACL injury. He played in just six games in 2024, missing 11 games due to a hamstring injury that occurred while covering a punt against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 22. Trice was on injured reserve for a significant portion of the season.
Trice has been a player with high hopes from the Steelers, despite being a seventh-round draft pick and has been considered by some a potential future starter.
Trice had a clutch red zone interception in the third quarter of the Steelers' Week 2 win over the Denver Broncos. It also marked Trice's first career interception. After missing his entire rookie season due to an ACL injury, Trice's teammates were thrilled for him to get rewarded with a game-changing interception.
'Cory stepped up in the moment,' defensive tackle Cam Heyward said. 'What a heck of a way for a guy who was hurt all last year to be ready for that moment and make a big play for us and keep seven (points) off the board.'
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Alan Saunders and Brendan Howe provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers CB Wants to Get Revenge on Ja'Marr Chase: 'All I've Been Thinking About'
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