James Pierre Jr. (born September 16, 1996) is an American professional football cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Atlantic Owls and signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Pierre has also been a member of the Washington Commanders.
 Pierre with the Washington Commanders in 2024 | |||||||||||||
| No. 42 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | September 16, 1996 Deerfield Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Deerfield Beach | ||||||||||||
| College: | Florida Atlantic (2017–2019) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2024 | |||||||||||||
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Early life
editPierre attended Deerfield Beach High School. As a senior, he registered 48 tackles, four interceptions and two pass break-ups, helping Deerfield Beach to a 10–2 record. The Miami Herald named him one of the Top 25 seniors in Broward County, while the Sun-Sentinel named him all-county honorable mention. Pierre was considered a three-star prospect and the No. 48 safety in the Class of 2016 by 247Sports.com's composite rankings. He initially committed to Miami (FL) over offers from Louisville, Mississippi State, Tennessee, South Carolina and Wisconsin, but switched his commitment to North Carolina in February 2016. Pierre was denied admission and committed to Syracuse.[1]
College career
editPierre was ruled academically ineligible by the NCAA for his freshman season.[2] He transferred to Florida Atlantic and had 21 tackles and two pass deflections as a freshman in 2017.[3] Pierre posted 55 tackles and nine pass breakups as a sophomore.[4] On November 2, 2019, he made two interceptions in a 35–24 win over Western Kentucky.[5] As a junior in 2019, Pierre recorded 44 tackles, 4.5 tackles for losses and three interceptions. He finished his collegiate career with 120 total tackles, 18 pass breakups, 8 1/2 tackles for losses and three interceptions in 39 games. Pierre declared for the NFL Draft following the season.[6]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
183 lb (83 kg) |
31+1⁄4 in (0.79 m) |
8+1⁄2 in (0.22 m) |
4.59 s | 1.61 s | 2.68 s | 7.02 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) |
10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | |||
| All values from NFL Combine[7][8] | ||||||||||||
Pittsburgh Steelers (first stint)
editAfter going undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft, Pierre signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.[9] He was named to the Steelers' initial 53-man roster, the only undrafted free agent to make the team in that fashion in 2020.[10] On September 19, 2021, Pierre made his first career NFL start, filling in due to a groin injury to Joe Haden.[11] Pierre made his first NFL interception in a game against the Denver Broncos on October 10, 2021.[12]
On March 21, 2023, Pierre re–signed with the Steelers.[13]
Washington Commanders
editPierre signed with the Washington Commanders on March 21, 2024.[14] He was released on August 27, 2024.[15]
Pittsburgh Steelers (second stint)
editOn September 17, 2024, Pierre signed with the Steelers practice squad.[16] He played against the Los Angeles Chargers on September 22, 2024 and then signed to the active roster on September 24.[17]
Personal life
editPierre's cousin is two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.[18]
References
edit- ^ Bailey, Stephen (May 20, 2016). "Syracuse football announces signing of James Pierre; 3-star DB details decision". The Post-Standard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ Bailey, Stephen (August 29, 2016). "Syracuse football DB signee James Pierre does not qualify with NCAA". The Post-Standard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ Elman, Jake (April 16, 2016). "Florida Atlantic cornerback James Pierre looks to finish spring camp with flourish". Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ Elman, Jake (July 29, 2019). "FAU football: James Pierre, Owls secondary need to continue strong spring performance into regular season". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ "James Pierre makes 2 picks as Florida Atlantic tops Western Kentucky football". The Courier-Journal. Associated Press. November 2, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ Price, Khobi (January 2, 2020). "FAU cornerback James Pierre declares for NFL draft". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ "James Pierre Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ "James Pierre, Florida Atlantic, CB, 2020 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ Price, Khobi (April 26, 2020). "FAU's James Pierre, Rashad Smith, Brandon Walton agree to NFL deals as undrafted free agents". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ Adamski, Chris (September 7, 2020). "Tall, athletic CB James Pierre pleased to make Steelers as undrafted free agent". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ Adamski, Chris (September 20, 2021). "Steelers CB James Pierre fills in on short notice as 'next man up' in place of Joe Haden". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ Alper, Josh (October 10, 2021). "Steelers snap losing streak, beat Broncos 27-19". Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ "Steelers Re-Sign CB James Pierre". si.com. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- ^ Griffin, Liam (March 21, 2024). "Commanders add cornerback James Pierre in latest free-agency move". WashingtonTimes.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Selby, Zach. "Commanders release 34 players; place 3 on IR, 1 on PUP list". Commanders.com. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ Popejoy, Curt. "Steelers bring back familiar face at cornerback". Steelers Wire. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ "Steelers make multiple roster moves". Steelers.com. September 24, 2024.
- ^ "James Pierre Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 8, 2023.