Washington Commanders sign former Steelers cornerback James Pierre in free agency

The Washington Commanders have signed former Steelers cornerback James Pierre to a new deal for the 2024 season, the team announced on Thursday. Pierre played the 2023 season for the Steelers on a one-year, $1.3 million deal, which expired on March 13.

Through his first four years in the league, Pierre has primarily played as a reserve cornerback and special teams contributor. He’s accumulated 94 tackles with three forced fumbles and two interceptions over the last four seasons. He played in 16 games for the Steelers in 2023, but tallied a career-low of eight tackles.

Pittsburgh picked Pierre up as an undrafted free agent for the 2019 season. He went undrafted in 2019 after a standout career at Florida Atlantic. He missed just one game in four seasons for the Steelers.

Pierre will turn 28 at the start of the 2024 NFL regular season. He’ll be with the Commanders, which is just his second team so far in the NFL. He is now playing for former Cowboys defensive coordinator and Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn, who took over the team this offseason.

Commanders add Noah Igbinoghene at corner from Cowboys

Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene also signed with the Washington Commanders this week. Igbinoghene served primarily as a depth piece on defense and special teams after joining the Cowboys in September. He now joins Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler in leaving Dallas for the Dan Quinn-led Commanders.

Dallas picked up Igbinoghene this season in a trade with the Miami Dolphins for former 2021 draft pick Kelvin Joseph. Igbinogene was a first-round draft pick in 2020 after a stellar junior season at Auburn. The Tigers product has had more downs than ups in the NFL over his first three seasons.

His move to Dallas gave him a fresh start, which he took advantage of. He made the active roster and played in five games. He even scored on a 58-yard touchdown after the Cowboys blocked a punt against the Giants in Week 1.

More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2024 calendar year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams can enter into a legal negotiation with players who will become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits. Following the restricted free agent deadline follows the 2024 NFL Draft, which runs from April 25-27.