Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers have released cornerback James Pierre, the team announced on Tuesday.
With Pierre being a veteran, he does not need to go through waivers. There is a good chance the Steelers re-sign Pierre on Wednesday, especially with quarterback Will Howard and cornerback Donte Kent making the initial 53-man roster. They would do that to avoid using an automatic IR-return designation on someone like Howard or Kent.
If Howard and Kent go on IR after Wednesday, the team can decide later if they want to bring them back or not. If they went on IR on Tuesday, they automatically use one of eight slots.
Pierre cemented himself as a key special teams presence in 2024, when he filled in as an early-season replacement and then remained in action for the rest of the year.
Last year, Pierre signed with the Washington Commanders as a free agent on March 21 and was released on Aug. 27. He re-joined the Steelers on Sept. 17, first to the practice squad, and then was promoted to the active roster.
Pierre played in the last 15 games of the season, and even made two starts while Donte Jackson and Cory Trice were dealing with injury issues.
On the season, he recorded 23 tackles, forced two fumbles, defended three passes and made one interception, against the Cleveland Browns.
Pierre re-signed with the Steelers on a one-year deal in March.
A 6-foot-2, 185-pound native of Deerfield Beach, Florida, Pierre has played in 81 games for the Steelers at cornerback since joining the team as an undrafted free agent. Pierre had his best season in 2021, when he recorded 47 tackles, forced three fumbles and had four passes defended and one interception.
The sixth-year cornerback turned heads during training camp at St. Vincent College.
As starter Joey Porter Jr. and backup Cory Trice dealt with injuries, Pierre stepped in during a pair of practices, notching an interception and two more in one-on-one drills.
“I’m just doing what I’m told,” Pierre said. “Being here for a while, I know what to do, how to respond to a lot of things. … The standard is the standard, you know? So when you get in, you’ve gotta play like the guys ahead of you.”
Pierre said being a special teamer is his main role. Working alongside selfless guys such as Miles Killebrew and Connor Heyward is part of what keeps him going in that department.
“We’ve got a lot of good guys, a lot of great guys,” Pierre said. “Everybody wants to win, everybody wants to fly to the ball. Everybody’s hitting and tackling.”
Alan Saunders and Brendan Howe contributed reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Cut Ties with Critical Special Teamer
