Buy Or Sell: CB Beanie Bishop Jr. has better roster odds than the Steelers’ two defensive draft picks.
Explanation: Even though the signing of CB Cameron Sutton most affects Beanie Bishop Jr., he may still have better roster odds. Ryan Watts and Logan Lee are competing at positions that are deeper than slot cornerback.
Buy:
Unless you really believe in, say, Josiah Scott, then you have to like the odds of Beanie Bishop Jr. here. Ryan Watts is an outside cornerback who may not be able to hang on the outside. Logan Lee is just another non-descript defensive end, of which the Steelers have a stockpile. Bishop is undersized, but he has the speed, quickness, physicality, and ball skills to make up for it.
It’s possible that none of them make the 53-man roster, but if either Watts or Lee does, it’s hard to imagine Bishop missing out. Even though the Steelers went in other directions with their final draft picks, I think they like him just as much. Omar Khan spoke glowingly about him after the draft and even talked about a potential defensive role. They definitely view him as another draft pick, and he has less personnel resistance ahead of him.
Sell:
Numerically, Watts and Lee might have more bodies in front of them, but qualitatively, perhaps not. As for Lee, the Steelers did add Dean Lowry, but are either DeMarvin Leal or Isaiahh Loudermilk locks? Absolutely not. They are both underperforming players who are firmly on the roster bubble. That is why the Steelers drafted him in the first place.
And, of course, the Steelers drafted Ryan Watts instead of Beanie Bishop Jr. Maybe they felt better about an undersized slot cornerback going undrafted than a tall outside cornerback. But the fact remains that they passed on him, and then they signed Cameron Sutton.
Oh yeah, Cameron Sutton, the man who will be doing the only job Bishop is capable of on defense. Yeah, the Steelers don’t have a ton of slot options, but they have their number one option. And they like their three-safety packages where they can utilize Damontae Kazee and perhaps Trenton Thompson. Watts could edge out one of the other young, tall cornerbacks who haven’t yet done anything.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
