There are difficult decisions to be made at the end of August every single year for NFL franchises, and it’s no different for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025. But making difficult decisions does not excuse making the wrong decisions.
The Steelers have been accused more than most teams of trying the same thing over and over again, expecting different results, and the defined term for such practices has smacked them in the face in January every year as a result. Thankfully, general manager Omar Khan’s maneuvering on the roster has indicated a change in those practices.
Hopefully, he can stick to it by ensuring lingering problems from previous rosters don’t spoil a fresh and promising outlook with their stink. There’s at least one prime example in the defensive back room who is clinging to his roster spot that would be a massive mistake to retain for the 2025 season.
Why cutting the wrong cornerback would haunt the Pittsburgh Steelers
James Pierre, a sixth-year player out of Florida Atlantic, is positioned to hold onto his roster spot because of his experience on special teams. He’s played 1,191 special teams snaps for Danny Smith over the past five seasons.
Few Steelers fans have issues with Pierre’s contributions on special teams. They aren’t nearly as noticeable as his efforts on defense, which are lacking. But his experience in the third phase could have some notable reserve options unjustly on the chopping block.
The Steelers more than invested in the defensive backfield - they overhauled it. Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and even Juan Thornhill have revamped the look and feel of the Steelers' secondary. But that pushed Beanie Bishop and Cory Trice Jr. further down the depth chart, putting them in competition with Pierre for a roster spot.
Brandin Echols has proven his case for the roster and will likely claim the ‘fourth’ spot on the depth chart at cornerback. But if the Steelers can only keep five, they’ll have to choose between Bishop, Trice, and Pierre. In that scenario, Pierre probably wins out. If they can keep six, it’s down to Trice and Pierre, and again, Pierre wins out.
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The larger issue is that if Trice or Bishop don’t make the roster, they’ll be on other teams before September hits. Trice has his injury issues, and Bishop is still raw as an undrafted second-year player, but both have shown actual promise as cornerbacks, unlike Pierre.
Pierre’s value on special teams isn’t without merit - he’s a solid player there. But the Steelers can’t sacrifice developing their young players for Pierre, who still isn’t close to Miles Killebrew in the team ace conversation.
While moving on from Trice would be understandable due to his injury history, it would be a crime for the Steelers to cut Bishop after the growth he has shown since being thrust into a starting position he wasn’t ready for last season.
After all, the Steelers invested in veterans to start, so it should be the younger players cutting their teeth on special teams and growing behind them on the depth chart, ready to take over. Pierre has proven time and again that his ceiling is on special teams, but Bishop and Trice both show more promise on defense.
Having Bishop or Trice inserted into special teams would be more beneficial in the long run rather than watching them develop somewhere else while Pierre sits at the bottom of the roster.