Veteran cornerback James Pierre has been on quite a heater in recent weeks after stepping into the lineup due to injuries. But despite the great play, Pierre is likely returning to his reserve role and special teams duties once Darius Slay is healthy.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed as much Tuesday during his weekly press conference.
“Yeah, he steps back in and plays, certainly. We’re certainly gonna continue to play James. He’s deserving of that, but if healthy, Slay is going to play,”Tomlin said of the cornerback pecking order, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page.
Slay was injured in the Steelers’ loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10 and entered concussion protocol. That kept him out of the Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, a game in which Pierre shined, breaking up a pass downfield intended for Ja’Marr Chase while making some plays as a tackler, too.
Pierre has earned plenty of praise in recent weeks from both Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. Teammates have raved about Pierre too, as he’s stepped up and made plays consistently in coverage. On the season, Pierre has allowed just nine receptions on 21 targets for 70 yards. He’s broken up eight passes on the season, too, according to Pro Football Focus.
Those are outstanding numbers. He’s been quite the story for the Steelers, developing from a COVID-year undrafted free agent into a core special teams player. Now, in recent weeks he’s looked like a legitimate No. 2 cornerback.
“He’s done a nice job, but again, usually when you’re a backup, man, you get targets and so when you get targets, you generally get breakups,” Tomlin said of Pierre. “We have not been displeased with his efforts. We’ve been quite pleased with his efforts. We’re certainly interested in continuing to use him as we move forward.”
But it seems like Pierre will be heading back to a reserve role with Slay expected to be cleared for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. That feels like a major mistake from Tomlin and the Steelers. Though Pittsburgh gave Slay a one-year, $10 million deal in free agency and believed he was going to be a key answer in the secondary that was rebuilt in the offseason, he’s been a major disappointment and a liability.
Slay has allowed 28 receptions on 40 targets for 396 yards and three touchdowns this season, according to PFF. He has just three pass breakups, is constantly in and out of the lineup within games due to various injuries and has really struggled as a tackler on the perimeter.
Slay is charged with eight missed tackles on the year based on charting here at Steelers Depot, with a missed-tackles rate of 18.6%. He has the second-most misses on the season, too, and he’s done all of that in just 478 snaps.
The Steelers still believe in Slay as a valuable piece in the secondary though, and don’t want to send him to the bench, especially this late in his great career. It’s a shame that’s the decision though as Pierre has very clearly outplayed him. Hopefully it’s a 50-50 split, because if Pierre is relegated to very limited rotational reps, the Steelers are wasting his strong play and very clear abilities in the secondary.
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