There was no more intriguing Pittsburgh Steelers position group to watch entering training camp than the cornerbacks. When they traded for Jalen Ramsey, it shook up the entire depth chart and created a situation where several players had to battle for what will likely be one or two open spots on the 53-man roster. With Cory Trice Jr. and Joey Porter Jr. dealing with soft-tissue injuries and Darius Slay getting a veteran day of rest, some of the other corners got their chance to shine during Saturday’s practice.
And James Pierre and Beanie Bishop Jr. seemed to seize the opportunity more than the others. After an interception on Friday Night Lights during the two-minute drill, Pierre had another pair of interceptions at today’s practice. They were both during one-on-0ne sessions, but he was still making plays.
He jumped an out route on the first one and then covered a slant route well to intercept a pass intended for Robert Woods, per our Alex Kozora on X.
Pierre has one other big thing going for him in his battle for a roster spot: he is an excellent gunner on the punt-coverage unit. He has filled that role for the Steelers before, and he will be defending that role for the rest of camp and the preseason.
The Steelers typically keep six cornerbacks. Ramsey, Slay, Porter, and Brandin Echols are locks to make the roster. That leaves two spots for Bishop, Trice, Pierre, and rookie seventh-rounder Donte Kent.
Bishop also took advantage of the extra work on Saturday. He made a key play during Seven Shots, breaking up a would-be touchdown pass to WR Ben Skowronek in the end zone.
I had Kent down as a dark horse to fill that backup slot corner and special teams gunner role, but he was also missing from practice today. It would have been a good day for Kent to get extra reps. Mike Tomlin should provide an update on his status after practice.
With Trice and Kent sitting out, Bishop and Pierre made the most of their extra opportunities. I would like to call Trice a lock for the 53-man roster, but I am starting to worry that he’ll never be able to stay healthy for more than a few weeks at time.
The Steelers could end up breaking their norm and keeping seven cornerbacks, which would make the decision a lot easier. If they don’t, Trice and Kent may have watched their biggest competitors for a roster spot take a step forward while they were watching from the sideline.
Update: 5:15 PM ET — Cory Trice Jr. is out for “more than a few days” according to head coach Mike Tomlin. This puts him behind the eight ball even further. I don’t know that I can confidently project him to the 53-man roster at this point in time, though he could make the initial roster to be sent to IR depending on the severity of the injury. He had a hamstring injury last year that kept him out for most of the season.
