Surprise Defender Turned Heads at Steelers Minicamp

Offseason programs such as OTAs and minicamps is where NFL depth players can make a name for themselves and move their way up the pecking order. That seems to be the case for Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback James Pierre as he continues to turn heads heading into training camp.

Steelers News

Pierre is a second-year undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic who saw action in all 16 regular season games for the Steelers in 2020. While he only played 27 snaps on defense, Pierre was a key contributor on special teams playing 227 snaps and racking up 10 tackles on the year.

The Steelers let starters Mike Hilton and Steven Nelson test free agency this offseason, which means there are suddenly a few open jobs in the secondary. Pierre is one of a number of players fighting for a spot and has been sticking out so far due to his stellar play on the field.

Reports say the 24-year-old has picked off starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger twice already and once was in the end zone during a two-minute drill.

It'll be interesting to see how the secondary shakes out for Pittsburgh and whether or not Pierre can lock down the No. 3 CB role. The Steelers currently have odds set at +170 to make the playoffs and odds set at +4400 to win the Super Bowl, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.