James Pierre played lights out in his starting role against the Cincinnati Bengals a week ago. Still, Mike Tomlin told the media on Tuesday that Darius Slay would return to his previous role once he cleared the concussion protocol. The snap count data from today’s loss to the Chicago Bears says otherwise.
The Steelers leaned heavily into Pierre with 64 snaps compared to Slay’s 20. Here is the full breakdown for CB snaps, via Pro Football Focus.
– James Pierre: 64
– Joey Porter Jr.: 44
– Brandin Echols: 35
– Darius Slay: 20
Pierre was out there for the first drive and played nearly every snap of the game.