Tall, athletic CB James Pierre pleased to make Steelers as undrafted free agent

He was arguably the biggest surprise to make the team Saturday when the Pittsburgh Steelers announced their initial 53-man roster for the 2020 season. Undrafted free agent James Pierre insisted he never let himself get too overconfident or too discouraged about his chances throughout training camp.

“Just being even keeled, coming in everyday, same mindset, same work ethic,” Pierre said during a video conference call with media after the Steelers first practice of the season at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “Practice one speed: that’s full speed. … Practice hard every day.”

A 6-foot-2, 185-pound cornerback timed in the 40-yard-dash in the 4.5s, Pierre has NFL-caliber measurables. He had been recruited to Power 5 colleges and initially committed to Syracuse, but academic issues landed him at Florida Atlantic, where he played three positions in the secondary over a three-year career, two of which he was a starter.

#Steelers 2-a-days: Chuks Okorafor out to win RT job, rookie CB James Pierre has all the tools ... Via @C_AdamskiTribhttps://t.co/IEkHfq4ph5

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) July 10, 2020

Pierre said he has repped at outside cornerback in practices since signing with the Steelers. He was one of six cornerbacks to make the 53-man roster and the only undrafted free agent at any position.

“For me it was like a big waiting game,” Pierre said of awaiting word on the roster last week. “I have been through that already with the draft process, so I just took it one day at a time, kept working hard — extra hard every day — trying to find out what I can do to help the team.”

If something happened to one of the Steelers’ starters at outside cornerback, the only player on the roster who has taken a snap there during an NFL regular-season game is Cameron Sutton. Sutton serves as a dime and nickel defensive back.

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