Steelers Bring Back Veteran Cornerback, Special Teamer
The Pittsburgh Steelers have re-signed veteran cornerback and special teamer James Pierre, his agent announced.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have re-signed veteran cornerback James Pierre to their practice squad, per his agent Toney Scott.
Pierre, 28, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Steelers after first joining the team as an undrafted free agent out of FAU in 2020. Pierre signed with the Washington Commanders as a free agent on March 21 this spring and was released on Aug. 27.
The Steelers will almost certainly want to utilize Pierre as a punt gunner, a role he filled in all four of his seasons with the Steelers.
With Pierre having moved on, the Steelers had been utilizing a combination of cornerback Darius Rush and wide receivers Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek to cover punts through the first two games of this season.
Skowronek suffered a shoulder injury against the Broncos, and Pierre’s signing appears to be insurance for his availability in the near future.
“Excited for him to contribute heavily on special teams and take the field soon,” Scott said on X.
A 6-foot-2, 185-pound native of Deerfield Beach, Florida, Pierre played 66 games from 2020-24 for the Steelers, and made six starts at cornerback, all in 2021 and 22. Pierre had his best season in 2021, when he recorded 47 tackles, forced three fumbles and had four passes defended and one interception.
He was passed in the rotation for playing time at cornerback by the rookie, Rush in 2023, and the return of Cory Trice from injury this year left Pierre without a spot in Pittsburgh, but his prowess on special teams might give him a reprieve for 2024.
The Steelers will need to clear a spot on their practice squad to sign Pierre, but no official announcement has been made.
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