CHICAGO —After impressing against Ja'Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals last week, James Pierre earned the start at cornerback opposite Joey Porter Jr. during the Pittsburgh Steelers ' trip to the Windy City. Darius Slay , who'd missed last week's matchup with a concussion, was back in the mix.
Pierre, a sixth-year pro, filled in for veteran Darius Slay last week as he was dealing with a concussion. It was the ninth start of his career and yielded a 34-yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. Chase, who'd torched the Steelers during his first run-in with them a month earlier, was comparatively quiet.
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback James Pierre tackles Cincinnati Bengals tight end Noah Fant on Nov. 16, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
"Yeah, he steps back in and plays," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said of Slay on Tuesday. "We're certainly going to continue to play James. He's deserving of that, but if healthy, Slay is going to play."
Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin echoed the same sort of sentiment.
"I think obviously JP has done a heck of a job when he's stepped in for Slay, and he's done that," Austin said Thursday. "When you have Slay, we have some veteran experience. I think what we'll do is we'll see how that works out."
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Mike Tomlin Doesn't Start Darius Slay After All
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