The trajectory of the 2023 Steelers defense is figuring to be a higher one.
Nearly lost in the concept of the additions to physicality within the unit for the upcoming season comes the underrated -- though not necessarily unappreciated -- amount of length that has joined. Having that on all levels of the defense can make all of the difference on a play, a series, and even within a game. For defensive linemen, length helps with the ability to gain leverage and bend. For linebackers, length coincides with tackling ability in the run game and with the ability to close out on a receiver in the passing game.
There is value in length at any position, but when a cornerback has to high point a football and especially while doing so against a wide receiver at equal height or taller, having the added length comes in as even more of a plus.
Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. were added via the draft with similar physical profiles. Trice is one of three cornerbacks to measure at 6-foot-3 or taller at the NFL Combine, and Porter checked in right behind him at 6-foot-2. While having that kind of frame helps a press cornerback out, there is also the added notion of how it trickles down to the back-end of that secondary.
“Shoot, length is always good, especially if you know how to use it, and they do that really well," Keanu Neal told me after Tuesday's OTAs on the South Side. "Makes it more difficult for the quarterback, allows them play shorter receivers, taller receivers, so it’s definitely a benefit.”
For a defensive back, having added length typically can help out in press coverage, but it also has to force the offense to account for it in some respects. Among those tested at the Combine, Porter's arms measured at 34 inches, tied with now-Colts cornerback Julius Brents for the longest among cornerbacks, while Trice's 32 3/8-inch arms are nothing to scoff at within the position.
The Steelers made sweeping changes to their secondary over the offseason, with Porter and Trice putting a ribbon on the package. These adds also included Day 1, impact players of Patrick Peterson, Chandon Sullivan, and Neal.
Note the measurements of those three players. Peterson stands at 6 feet with a 32-inch arm length, Sullivan is 5-foot-11 but has arms measuring at 32 3/8 inches, and Neal stands at 6 feet with 32 3/4-inch arms. That length will come into play this season in many aspects, whether it nets in just one more pass breakup or enables one more interception, or if it does the simple job of altering what the opposing offense accomplishes on any given drive.
"Oh yeah, for sure," Neal said. "It just changes the trajectory of the ball, makes it more difficult for the quarterbacks to get the ball where they want it.”
And it will be exactly that, that contributes to the high-energy, physical nature the Steelers want to employ. Porter, as Peterson said last week, has been working with the first-team, and Trice confirmed Tuesday that he has solely been working on the outside with no inside or slot work coming just yet. Despite being a seventh-round draft pick, Trice had a lot to bring to the table as a prospect for the NFL who slid due to perceived injury concerns. But, he still excelled as a press cornerback at Purdue by allowing just one reception on 88 press snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
If you needed a refresher on Trice's film at Purdue, here it is:
"He did a great job at Purdue, taking up a lot of space on the line of scrimmage, played a lot of press coverage, and that's huge," secondary coach Grady Brown said after the Steelers selected Trice. "Really, just the way that he plays press, being able to go down and not play a motor technique, not back up, but really just used that 6-3, 6-2 frame to just take up a lot of space and make guys work on the line of scrimmage. So, really excited about getting him here. He has some toughness. He started his career off as a safety. He was a high school basketball player. So just a lot of good things just from a coaching standpoint to work with, and we're looking forward to getting them in here."
Trice fell and became an upside pick for the Steelers in the seventh round because of those qualities. The injury list includes a torn ACL and ankle injuries that caused four of his five college seasons to be cut short, but a healthy Trice can make a massive difference for the depth at the position longterm.
As he told me after Monday's practice, he wasn't sure why the injury concerns might have caused him to slip, as he started in 13 games for the Boilermakers last year. As of this point, after going through rookie minicamp and being present for OTAs, Trice said is working on the fine-tuning aspects of his game.
“Coming into the NFL everything’s going to be new, everything’s going to be fresh for me," Trice said. "Just trying to tell myself to take it day-by-day, rep by rep.”
That comes, of course, with more experience. His offseason was spent, as he said, working on himself in a totality. He labeled his strength as "just covering really well," but there are always adjustments to be had to help bring that strength out.
“I wanted to work on my speed," Trice said. "I feel like I definitely showed that at the Combine. I wanted to work on my press coverage -- it’s definitely coming along -- working on getting in and out of my breaks, and just working on myself mentally and physically.”