Steelers Rumors: Surprise cut, Colin Cowherd hate, preseason star
By Kristen Wong
Steelers Rumors: Is James Pierre tumbling down the depth chart?
In the Steelers' rock-solid backfield, no defensive back is safe. Veteran corner James Pierre has heard his number called this preseason and hasn't impressed compared to younger, higher-upside players. Could he be on his way out?
Pierre, who joined Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent in 2020, has played mostly backup corner duties in the last three years. He's played in 50 games in total but started just six.
He entered this year's training camp hoping to make the leap into a starting role; however, the Steelers just have too much talent at the position. Joey Porter, Patrick Peterson, and Levi Wallace are all locks along with Chandon Sullivan and Elijah Riley, leaving Pierre in a vicious backend-of-the-roster battle to end the 2023 preseason.
Several pundits are down on Pierre and for good reason: he doesn't offer much more than special teams expertise and hasn't made the most of his snaps in a Steelers uniform, preseason or otherwise.
Cory Trice Jr.'s unfortunate season-ending injury could have saved Pierre's job as the Steelers need the cornerback depth. After the 2023 season, though, Pierre is as good as gone.