Steelers CB James Pierre confident, has huge hill to climb

Last year at this time, he was the up-and-coming player to keep an eye on in his position room, widely considered a possible future starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This summer is much different for James Pierre. He’s something of a forgotten man among the Steelers’ cornerbacks, depending on how you define it no better than the No. 6, 7 or 8 on the CB depth chart.

Did his inconsistent, trial-by-fire second NFL season that caused such a fall down the depth chart also crater Pierre’s confidence?

No.

Asked after an organized team activities session earlier this month if his first taste of regular pro action proved to Pierre that he fit in and belonged with high-caliber NFL receivers, Pierre repeated his answer four times.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” he said. “For sure, for sure.

“For. Sure.”

A year after opening eyes as an undrafted rookie during the 2020 training camp and nailing down a 53-man roster spot for the entirety of his first NFL season, Pierre in 2021 appeared to be getting groomed to ultimately replace veteran Joe Haden as one of the Steelers’ starting outside cornerbacks.

Blessed with size (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) and good athleticism, Pierre earned plaudits from the coaching staff for his willingness to work.

He began last season as the No. 3 outside corner, entering the game in many subpackages. He played 36% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps in the opening win at Buffalo, and in Week 2 he played every defensive snap because of an injury to Haden.

The first step to a long and fruitful NFL starting career at cornerback? As it turned out, it was more like an apex of a season that for the most part went downhill for Pierre after that loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Still, Pierre hasn’t given up on re-establishing himself.

“ ‘JP’ loves the game,” Steelers secondary coach Grady Brown said. “He loves the game, he loves the challenge, and … his mindset is at a place it needs to be.

“He’s here to get better. He’s here to work, and he’s looking forward to opportunities to kind of redeem himself from whatever past mistakes he might have made.”

Even Pierre would admit there were too many of those last season.

There was when he got beat by the Cincinnati Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase for a touchdown in a Week 3 loss. Or when the Bengals’ Tee Higgins burned him for a touchdown during a blowout loss to Cincinnati later in the season.

According to Pro Football Focus, no player who played as many coverage snaps in 2021 as Pierre (282) gave up as many as the four touchdowns he did. Among the 129 cornerbacks in the NFL who played at least 170 coverage snaps, only 10 yielded more yards per completion when targeted than Pierre (14.8).

“I just have to make the plays I am supposed to make,” Pierre said in looking back at last season. “That’s basically it.”

Pierre made his share of big plays. There was the one on special teams, a fourth-quarter forced fumble on a kickoff return during a two-point November win against the Chicago Bears.

But the play Pierre made last season that most stands out is when he intercepted Teddy Bridgewater with 11 seconds to play on a fourth-and-goal play in a one-possession game. Courtland Sutton had beaten Pierre for a touchdown earlier in the game.

JAMES PIERRE CALLED GAMEpic.twitter.com/RgDvuh3MeF

— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) October 10, 2021

“Just during those reps I was always believing in myself,” Pierre said of his early 2021 showcase. “That’s all how I looked at it as when I stepped on the field: believing in myself and getting the job done, delivering.”

Though Haden was not re-signed, the Steelers did bring back Ahkello Witherspoon in free agency. They also signed veteran Levi Wallace to go along with sixth-year Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton. Those three are well established as the starters, with Arthur Maulet a much-used option for subpackages. Tre Norwood also has a role. And by the end of last season, Justin Layne was being run onto the field on defense before Pierre.

It all adds up to a long, harrowing path for Pierre to re-scale the CB depth chart during next month’s training camp. Pierre, though, probably has a roster spot because he has become a much-relied-upon core special-teamer. And he continues to jockey for a role in the defense.

“I’ve never lost that edge that I had as a rookie,” Pierre said. “Keep that edge, and doing everything you can to focus on all aspects of winning, helping the team win.

“Mentally, I’m a better player. Physically, I got a little taller, but my brain, it grew, too. I’m understanding the game more. I know what it takes to get the job done.”

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