CHICAGO -- Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that Darius Slay would take over cornerback James Pierre , who had a standout day against the Cincinnati Bengals a week ago, but that turned out to not be the case.

“He steps back in and plays,” Tomlin said. “We’re certainly going to continue to play James. He’s deserving of that. But if healthy, Slay is going to play.”

So much for those words, as the actions speak much louder. Pierre outsnapped Slay significantly while Joey Porter Jr. was healthy, but Porter left the game early after suffering a hip flexor injury. Still, it seems that Pierre has moved into starting status, a significant switch for the Steelers.

Pierre, the sixth-year NFL veteran, was always known as the standout special teams gunner, but had i

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