Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Cornerback James Pierre will not play for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Miami Dolphins in Week 15, he said on Saturday.
Pierre suffered a calf injury against the Baltimore Ravens last Saturday. He was expected to be able to return this week, but did not practice on Thursday or Friday. The Steelers have not released their injury report for Saturday, but Pierre told The Athletic on Saturday that he will not play when the Steelers host the Dolphins on Monday Night Football.
Pierre, 29, has been one of the biggest surprises of the season for the Steelers. Considered an afterthought as a cornerback after playing mostly special teams over his first five seasons, he filled in for in juries on the outside, and played well enough for the Steelers to choose to release Darius Slay to keep playing Pierre.
With Pierre out of the lineup, expect Asante Samuel Jr. to make his first start for the team. Samuel signed with the Steelers mid-season after recovering from offseason neck surgery. He’s appeared in two games, playing 29 snaps of defense over the last two weeks.
The Steelers will be down to players that are primarily outside cornerbacks available to them, but both free safety Jalen Ramsey and slot cornerback Brandin Echols can play on the outside, as well. They could also elevate Daryl Porter Jr. from the practice squad.
Brendan Howe provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Cornerback Says He’s Out This Week with Injury
