Minnesota Vikings Film Room: High-upside free agent signing give Brian Flores something he needs to maximize his defense

James Pierre isn’t going to be a superstar for the Minnesota Vikings, but he will be exactly what they need.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

With the salary cap situation the Minnesota Vikings are in, we knew they weren’t going to be super active in free agency. The expectations were that they would be bargain shoppers, and that has been the case thus far.

The first move the Vikings made was exactly that, as they signed cornerback James Pierre to a two-year contract worth up to $8.5 million.

The move reunites Pierre with his defensive backs coach, Gerald Alexander, who joined the Vikings’ coaching staff this offseason, and also defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who was with Pierre and the Steelers in 2022.

James Pierre offers intriguing package

After being undrafted out of Florida Atlantic in 2020, the 6-2, 185-pound Pierre spent his entire six-year career with the Steelers. He played his best football in 2025, logging a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 88.9, ranking second-best in the NFL.

The Steelers ran a lot of single-high coverage, with a 25% Cover-1 rate and 30.8% Cover-3 rate per Fantasy Points Data. While the Vikings ran the lowest amount of single-high coverage, he’s well-versed in playing zone overall.

Flores loves to play zone coverage with a 75.7% zone coverage rate last season, and Pierre has the skills to thrive there. He stays patient with his eyes up and attacks the football. On 125 career targets, Pierre has four interceptions and 16 passes batted down, a 16% havoc rate on targets.

This is exactly what you want to see from a cornerback in a defense Flores runs. Plus, he has size, which is something that they desperately need at cornerback. He can also play some man coverage, which is huge for the growth potential of the Vikings’ defense. They didn’t have enough talent at cornerback to make that happen last season, but they might have that in 2026.

In 2025, Pierre allowed just 16 receptions on 35 targets for 163 yards and one touchdown, while he also snagged an interception and nine passes batted down. He paired really good ball skills with good coverage, allowing a passer rating of just 45.7.

The other thing that you need to see from a cornerback in this defense is a willingness to play the run. Pierre isn’t just a willing tackler; he puts in the effort in the running game.

He’s a solid tackler overall in his career with a missed tackle rate of just 9.2%. With how aggressive Flores is on defense, tackling is a very important aspect of playing in his defense. He squares up to the running back and exudes great tackling form.

James Pierre isn’t going to be a superstar, and that’s okay

One of the things we need to keep in mind is that Pierre likely won’t be a superstar. That’s not why they made this move. Pierre is a 30-year-old depth piece that can be a talented asset in a rotational role. He’s only played 1,356 snaps on defense in his six-year career, and expecting him to be a significant difference maker might be a stretch.

There is a real chance he can be a solid contributor over the course of his two years on defense as either CB2/3, but his real value might come on special teams. During his career, he’s played 1,393 snaps on special teams, giving the Vikings a much-needed gunner to potentially replace Tai Felton as he likely evolves into a WR3 role.

This is the latest rendition of taking a chance on a high-upside cornerback, and it’s pretty similar to signing Isaiah Rodgers last season. If he ends up being a solid rotational player, this will be a home run. If he doesn’t, you have a slightly expensive special teams player. It’s a great bet by interim general manager Rob Brzezinski.

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