Injury To Steelers' Unlikely Hero Paves Way For Mid-Season Addition's First Start With The Team

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to take on the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football in Week 15, but the team is going to be short-handed in some areas in what is a very important game. Pittsburgh currently has the lead in the AFC North over the Baltimore Ravens after taking down Baltimore on the road in Week 14, but the lead is narrow. Each of the franchise's last four games are extremely meaningful as the group is looking to clinch a spot in the postseason by winning the AFC North for the first time since 2020, but the collective has some adversity to battle through on the defensive side of the ball.

Pittsburgh will be without star outside linebacker TJ Watt on Monday night after the defensive captain suffered a collapsed lung while going through a dry needling session at the team's facility on Wednesday. That clearly hurts the defense, and now it seems like Pittsburgh will also be without cornerback James Pierre who is battling a calf injury. 

The cornerback has made a large impact over the last month or so after being thrust into more playing time, and his loss is massive. The corner told reporters on Saturday that he does not expect to play, which sets up Asante Samuel Jr. for his first start with the black and gold.

Pierre has been a pleasant surprise for the Steelers during the 2025 season. The veteran cornerback has spent most of his career with the team, but he was primarily known as a special teamer coming into the year. He had an opportunity for more playing time while the cornerback room was beat up, and he seized it. He has started the last four games for Pittsburgh and he has recorded 11 pass breakups, and interception, and he also recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.

Pierre will be missed on Monday night as he has been a great starter on the opposite side of Joey Porter Jr. in recent weeks. The specifics of his calf injury are unclear, but hopefully he will be able to return in Week 16 as the Steelers have a difficult matchup against the Detroit Lions. 

Teams in all sports have been extra cautious when it comes to calf injuries because of the recent uptick in Achilles tears, and there has been a clear correlation between strained calfs and the season ending Achilles injury. This has been seen in both the NBA and NFL.

In Pierre's absence the Steelers should be expected to start Samuel. The organization signed the cornerback to the practice squad in the middle of the season after he went through a back surgery over the 2025 offseason. He was expected to be one of the more coveted free agents during the 2025 cycle, but his back injury derailed that. He wound up in Pittsburgh, and now he is being handed a golden opportunity to get his career back on track.

Steelers Cornerback Room Has Been Full Of Many Surprises

Pittsburgh as an organization looked to revamp the secondary in 2025. This was clear from the move to trade for Jalen Ramsey and sign Darius Slay. Those two were expected to be lockdown corners for Pittsburgh, but it hasn't quite gone that way. 

Ramsey has transitioned to safety, where he has played great. Slay was released. However, the franchise has still gotten improved play from the secondary, just not where it expected. Pierre has been an unlikely hero, as has Brandin Echols who currently leads the team in interceptions.

What do you think about Samuel getting his first start? Let us know in the comments below!

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