3 winners and 3 losers from Steelers 2021 Hall of Fame Game

Steelers winner: James Pierre

There was no defender entering this first preseason game with more hype than James Pierre. While his hot start to camp was promising, there have been plenty of examples of players that look good in camp but can’t put it together during the season. Pierre saw a lot of playing time against the Cowboys, and to say the least, he showed up.

To be clear, he wasn’t a perfect player. He gave up a few catches, but he was sound in his tackling and didn’t allow any short catches to go for big yards. On top of this, he made a few key breakups in coverage, showing that he is rising to the occasion so far during the offseason. Instead of faltering, Pierre showed up.

Moving forward, Pierre should continue to get more looks as a starting outside cornerback. It is still uncertain how the Steelers plan on using the pieces in their secondary, but one has to think that Pierre will be a part of it. He has shown up as a positive contributor regularly, and his impressive play should yield him a role on the defense.