4 takeaways from Steelers win vs Cowboys in Hall of Fame Game
By Tommy Jaggi
James Pierre had a really impressive night
Equally hard not to notice on defense was second-year cornerback, James Pierre. I mentioned in a previous article that Alex Highsmith gets my vote for training camp MVP so far, but Pierre has been my runner-up.
With Joe Haden sitting out, Pierre started on defense from the gate, and he earned quite a few snaps. He didn’t disappoint. Though he was targeted on numerous occasions, Pierre more than held his own. While the young cornerback did give up a catch on a nicely thrown ball on a post route in the first half, the rest of his play was terrific.
Pierre earned a pair of pass defenses as he got his hands on a few balls. I was even tracking him when the ball wasn’t thrown his way and he did a terrific job hip-and-mirroring wide receivers. The former Florida Atlantic star even made a few nice plays in the run game and finished the game with 4 solo tackles in limited action.
There was so much uncertainty at the cornerback position this offseason after the team lost both Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton in free agency, but Pierre’s performance on Thursday night certainly gives us some hope.