James Pierre wakes up every morning at 5:30 AM, and sits in bed for 30 minutes, just thinking.
The time, as Pierre describes it, is used to 'get his mind right.'
He thinks about his mother, who raised him through tough times in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He thinks about his brother.
He thinks, most of all, about his 'Why.' His purpose.
Pierre is in his second season with the Steelers and could be closing in a starting outside cornerback role opposite Joe Haden.
It's a long time coming for a career that has, numerous times, looked like it had no shot at making it.
"I just take it for what it is," he said Tuesday before Steelers practice. "At the end of the day, you can't control it, you just got to keep work at it."
Pierre was a three-star recruit as a high schooler, and originally committed to play at nearby Miami. He then changed his commitment to North Carolina, but was denied admission after not meeting UNC's elevated admissions standards following an academic fraud investigation.
He instead committed to another ACC school, Syracuse, but did not qualify academically per NCAA standards and was ruled ineligible.
So Pierre went back home to Florida and enrolled at Florida Atlantic, where he played three seasons. He had a solid, but not spectacular career there and then declared for the NFL Draft in 2020.
No one took him.
But the Steelers liked what they saw, and signed Pierre as a free agent. Despite not having a normal offseason due to COVID-19, he was able to hang on the roster and work his way onto the field at the end of last season, registering seven tackles on the year.
Now, with the departure of cornerback Steve Nelson, Pierre is in the running for a starting job.
"He's done well," said Teryl Austin, the Steelers' senior defensive assistant/secondary coach. "He's got some ways to go still as a player and learning. But all signs are pointing up for James.
"He works his tail off, he competes hard, he's tough. He'll continue to get better. When he's good enough to get put in there, time will tell with that. But he's working in the right direction."
Pierre has a special relationship with a guy he will soon be trying to intercept a couple of times each year, childhood friend and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
"It's crazy, we never thought it'd be like this," said Pierre, who claims to be faster than the 2019 NFL MVP, who he speaks with frequently. "We just take it on day at a time. We've both come from similar backgrounds."
Austin, Mike Tomlin and Keith Butler are losing time in figuring out the rotation in the secondary, though with an extra week between the Friday's final preseason game and Week One of the regular season, they do have some grace.
"I always feel comfortable," Austin said. "I like our guys, it's just a matter of where we put them. I think we're going to have enough good guys out there to play for us. I'm not worried about that. Just want to make sure we have our guys in the right position."
The question for Pierre is how he fits in those positions. He's long, tall, and has good ball skills. But he's inexperienced and will be facing a schedule with veteran passers this year.
"I'm just working hard every day." Pierre said. All of the guys are. I'm just playing faster, knowing what to do. The little things, technique, what routes to expect. Just learning more of the game."
Pierre is going to make the team, that seems for sure. So the kid from humble beginnings will again be making NFL money and contributing for what should be on of the league's top defenses.
He just seems happy to go to work.
"I just take it all as a positive, no matter what happens," he said. "And then attack the day, because each day, rent's due. Each day is a work day."
