Ranking the entire Steelers cornerback room before the 2022 season
By Andrew Falce
Steelers CB #5
Heading into the top five, options four and five are kind of a toss-up. Ultimately, I decided to slot James Pierre here, as while his stint as a starter last year wasn’t great, he did flash some potential to be a capable defender. Beyond that, Pierre can be a core special teams player. Even if he isn’t on the field, he can still be a valuable player.
Pierre has the size you want in an outside cornerback. As well, he plays with decent physicality both on the line of scrimmage and against the run. He can hold his own in a zone defense. Unfortunately, he struggles with anticipating while in man coverage. If he can’t beat his man at the line, he falls behind and can’t get caught back up.
Though Pierre won’t be counted on as a starter this season, he is a fine backup and a good special teams player. With the top three options at the outside likely taking on most of the defensive roles, Pierre can focus on improving his defensive craft. If an injury occurs, the team can sub Pierre in as well. For a depth player, you could do worse.