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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback James Pierre at practice on July 28, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers have released cornerback James Pierre, the team announced on Tuesday.
Along with fellow secondary cut Chuck Clark, Pierre is a veteran who does not need to go through waivers. There is a chance the Steelers bring one or both back.
The team’s reason for cutting them would be to avoid using an automatic injured reserve designation on someone like rookie quarterback Will Howard or cornerback Donte Kent. If Howard or Kent is placed on injured reserve after Wednesday, the Steelers can decide to bring them back or not. If they were to go on Tuesday, they automatically use one of eight slots.
Pierre cemented himself as a key special teams presence in 2024, when he filled in as an early-season replacement and then remained in action for the rest of the year.
Last year, Pierre signed with the Washington Commanders as a free agent on March 21 and was released on Aug. 27. He re-joined the Steelers on Sept. 17, first to the practice squad, and then was promoted to the active roster.
Pierre played in the last 15 games of the season, and even made two starts while Donte Jackson and Cory Trice were dealing with injury issues.
On the season, he recorded 23 tackles, forced two fumbles, defended three passes and made one interception, against the Cleveland Browns.
Pierre re-signed with the Steelers on a one-year deal in March.
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback James Pierre at OTAs on May 28, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
A 6-foot-2, 185-pound native of Deerfield Beach, Florida, Pierre has played in 81 games for the Steelers at cornerback since joining the team as an undrafted free agent. Pierre had his best season in 2021, when he recorded 47 tackles, forced three fumbles and had four passes defended and one interception.
The sixth-year cornerback turned heads during training camp at St. Vincent College.
As starter Joey Porter Jr. and backup Cory Trice dealt with injuries, Pierre stepped in during a pair of practices, notching an interception and two more in one-on-one drills.
“I’m just doing what I’m told,” Pierre said. “Being here for a while, I know what to do, how to respond to a lot of things. … The standard is the standard, you know? So when you get in, you’ve gotta play like the guys ahead of you.”
Pierre said being a special teamer is his main role. Working alongside selfless guys such as Miles Killebrew and Connor Heyward is part of what keeps him going in that department.
“We’ve got a lot of good guys, a lot of great guys,” Pierre said. “Everybody wants to win, everybody wants to fly to the ball. Everybody’s hitting and tackling.”
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Alan Saunders and Brendan Howe contributed reporting for this story.
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