Player: CB Beanie Bishop Jr.
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: After spending the first week of camp running as the first-team slot defender, Beanie Bishop Jr. gained even more ground. The Steelers released CB Josiah Scott, whom most agreed was Bishop’s primary competition. Although he still has work ahead, the undrafted rookie has a clear path to push for a starting job.
There is always at least one underdog for fans to root for during training camp. This year, Steelers fans made their choice early with CB Beanie Bishop Jr. They view him as a faster Mike Hilton with better coverage skills—and perhaps the Steelers do, too.
After all, his teammates keep talking about Hilton and what he did for this defense. Bishop admits he spent time in the offseason watching Hilton’s tape with the Steelers, learning what his job entails. And the coaches are putting him to the test early and often in training camp.
Already running ahead of Josiah Scott in the pecking order, Beanie Bishop Jr. no longer has to worry about the veteran. Ostensibly the biggest threat to his job is no longer here, the Steelers waiving him. That makes the rookie’s run at earning a starting job that much smoother.
It’s still far from a slam dunk, however, as the Steelers do have Grayland Arnold, who recorded an interception yesterday. There are other things they can do to mix and match, as well. And of course there is Cameron Sutton, who is the presumed starter when he returns from an eight-game suspension.
But for at least the first eight games, the Steelers need somebody else there. They are taking a long look at Bishop to see if he can be that guy, and that continued for the first day in pads yesterday.
He has to keep this momentum throughout August and into September, though. Bishop wouldn’t be the first rookie to start fast and fade as training camp wore on. We haven’t even seen how he handles preseason game action yet. But up to this point, he is checking all the boxes the Steelers could expect him to.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
