Steelers Now
UNITY TWP, Pa. — Within a star-studded Pittsburgh Steelers defense, James Pierre isn’t the first player that comes to mind. The sixth-year cornerback is reminding everyone he’s there during training camp at St. Vincent College, though.
As starter Joey Porter Jr. and backup Cory Trice dealt with injuries, Pierre stepped in during a pair of practices, notching an interception near the end of Friday’s session and two more in one-on-one drills on Saturday.
“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 has played 81 regular-season games and nearly 1,200 special teams snaps in black and gold. As a reserve defensive back, he’s scattered three interceptions across five campaigns. He essentially echoed the sentiment Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin gave after Saturday’s practice.
“I think that’s kind of reflective of who they are,” Tomlin said, also talking about receiver Scotty Miller. “Football players first. Whatever we ask you to do, the more you can do, you add value to your cause and ours.”
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 contributed reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Under-the-Radar CB Making Strong Case for Steelers Roster Spot
