The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting some reinforcements for Sunday's Week 14 home matchup with the Cleveland Browns. Pittsburgh (9-3) will have two defenders back in the lineup who did not play when the Browns upset the Steelers two weeks ago.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that he "fully expects" to have starting outside linebacker Alex Highsmith for Sunday after he was sidelined the past three games with an ankle injury he suffered during Pittsburgh's Week 10 win over Washington. On Wednesday, the Steelers got another defender back when they activated reserve cornerback Cory Trice off injured reserve. Trice hasn't played since he injured his hamstring in Pittsburgh's Week 3 win over the Chargers.
Both players will help Pittsburgh's defense in different ways.
Along with his impact as a starter, Highsmith's return only adds to Pittsburgh's impressive depth at outside linebacker that also includes T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig and Preston Smith, who was acquired just before the trade deadline. In Sunday's 44-38 win over the Bengals, the trio combined to record three sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
"It's pretty exciting, isn't it?" Tomlin said when asked about Highsmith's return and the depth of Pittsburgh's outside linebacker corps, via the Tribune-Review. "You can't run out of rush men, particularly in December," Tomlin said. "So it's exciting. Make no mistake, there's enough work for all parties involved and we're excited about sorting that out as we prepare."
Trice, a 2023 seventh-round pick who missed his entire rookie season after getting injured in training camp, will add depth to a Pittsburgh secondary that recently welcomed fellow cornerback Cameron Sutton back onto the fold several weeks ago. Sutton, an eight-year veteran who is sharing reps with rookie nickleback Beanie Bishop Jr., missed the season's first eight games while serving a league-mandated suspension.
Trice, 24, is a former standout at Purdue who recorded a pick six in his second-to-last game with the Boilermakers. He made his first career interception in the NFL off Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix during the Steelers' Week 2 win in Denver. Trice injured his hamstring a week later while on special teams.
"I have always been preparing like I was going to play week in and week out," Trice said recently prior to being activated, via the team's website. "Still the same preparation, definitely was exciting mentally to get back to practice.
"Whenever they call me, I've got to be ready. And I'll be ready for sure."
Trice will get his chance on Sunday against a Browns team that scored 24 points against Pittsburgh two weeks ago and 32 points in this past Monday night's loss in Denver. The Steelers will surely be focused on containing Browns wideout Jerry Jeudy, who caught nine passes for a whopping 253 yards and a score on Monday night against his former team.
