Steelers starter dealing with illness ahead of Ravens game

PITTSBURGH — This article originally appeared on SteelersNOW.com.

Pittsburgh Steelers starting cornerback James Pierre (calf) was limited on Wednesday but did not practice on Thursday due to an undisclosed illness. It’s unclear if Pierre’s illness will keep him out of Sunday night’s winner-take-all Week 18 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Pierre missed his third straight game this past Sunday with a calf injury he suffered against the Ravens in Week 14. Pierre was limited on Wednesday and Thursday last week before taking a step back and not practicing on Friday. Asante Samuel Jr. has replaced Pierre at outside cornerback since his injury.

Pierre, 29, has been one of the biggest surprises of the season for the Steelers. Considered an afterthought as a cornerback after playing mostly special teams over his first five seasons, he filled in for in juries on the outside, and played well enough for the Steelers to choose to release Darius Slay to keep playing Pierre.

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