5 important observations from Steelers training camp

James Pierre was the most impressive young cornerback

Entering the offseason, I expected to witness a healthy battle at cornerback between James Pierre and Justin Layne. While Layne was able to string together a few solid practices prior to the Hall of Fame game, Pierre has been dominating the competition. In fact, the former undrafted rookie cornerback has been one of the single-most impressive players at Steelers training camp this year.

In addition to allowing a limited amount of big plays during team sessions, Pierre has recently been able to get his hands on the ball often. This has resulted in interceptions in both 11-on-11 team sessions and Seven Shots – where the Steelers offense attempts to score seven times from two yards out.

Pierre is very average as an athlete, but he has showcased sound technique during training camp and clearly has a terrific feel for the game. He still needs to fend off Justin Layne throughout the preseason to remain the team’s third outside cornerback.

His biggest competition for snaps could actually be Antoine Brooks. Though they play different positions on Pittsburgh’s defense (Brooks is listed as the starting nickel cornerback), more great play by Pierre could cause the Steelers to play him on the outside with Cameron Sutton in the slot in nickel packages this year.