Steelers coach thinks team may have found their cornerback of the future

Steelers secondary coach Teryl Austin is really high on one particular cornerback. Here’s why he thinks they found their cornerback of the future. 

Since the Pittsburgh Steelers parted ways with both Mike Hilton and Steven Nelson, the cornerback position has been one of the hottest topics of the offseason for this team. Fans want to know who will be the next player to step up into a sizeable role with this team and how prepared that particular player will be.

Despite lacking both depth and experience outside of Joe Haden and Cameron Sutton, the team shockingly did not address the secondary until the seventh round of the NFL Draft, and they have done nothing in free agency to try to fill the void left by both Hilton and Nelson this offseason.

Fortunately, there is hope. During 2021 OTAs and Minicamp, there has been one player that Pittsburgh coaches just can’t seem to say enough good things about. That player is former undrafted free agent, James Pierre.

Steelers secondary coach, Teryl Austin spoke highly of Pierre during a recent media session following a Minicamp practice – even labeling the young cornerback as a potential ‘nice, big corner of the future. Here’s what he had to say:

"I just think when you have a guy – he’s big, he’s long, he runs. I think the biggest thing that really stood out with James from last year was how hard he competed, his interest in ‘what can I do to get better,’ and taking what he was told and applying it… He’s still developing. This is his first offseason, and I think there will be a big jump with him… I’m hoping we all of the sudden found ourselves a nice, big corner for the future.”"

Austin also explained that Pierre wasn’t about to make the team as just a cornerback as an undrafted rookie in 2020, and explained the importance of learning special teams first. He reiterated that Pierre has made great strides in both areas of his game.

Could James Pierre could be a CB of the future for Steelers?

I know that Teryl Austin has high hopes for James Pierre, but I don’t mean to sound too pessimistic when I say that he has a low bar. The team hasn’t spent a second-round draft choice or higher at the cornerback position since busting on Senquez Golson back in 2015. Because of this, there aren’t a lot of young, talented options to mold and develop into the ‘next man up’ for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This was a role that Justin Layne was originally supposed to have. Many thought that Layne should have been a second-round draft choice in 2019 due to his youth and impressive physical tools. However, things just have not panned out so far for the long, rangy cornerback. This isn’t to say that Layne will never get it, but Austin and the Steelers, in general, seem to be higher on James Pierre at this point in time.

Pierre does have some size to work with, but he tested as just a 37th percentile athlete coming out of Florida Atlantic last year, according to Relative Athletic Scores, and his 4.59 speed is a bit concerning. Still, Pierre has already crushed early expectations so far and appears to be on track to be Pittsburgh’s third cornerback during the 2021 season.

It’s still mostly unclear how the Steelers plan to deploy Cameron Sutton in certain packages and whether or not he will stick on the outside or move to the slot in nickel and dime. However, the praise that James Pierre has received this offseason leads me to believe that he will have a significant role with the team in 2021.