Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach Teryl Austin earlier this morning told reporters that they were focusing on keeping cornerback Cameron Sutton on the outside in order to get a good look at their options for slot defenders this season, in the hopes of finding something as close to a one-for-one replacement of Mike Hilton as possible.
Evidently, that does not include second-year cornerback James Pierre, who has been receiving plenty of praise of his own so far this offseason, particularly since the start of mandatory minicamp. A 2020 college free agent out of Florida Atlantic, he is auditioning for the starting nickel role, but if he does get it, it is assumed he will play outside and kick Sutton inside.