Every year, we discuss who may be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “training camp darling.” This means a relatively unknown player who shows up and makes a case to earn a spot on the 53-man roster and contribute during the regular season. Back during the 2022 training camp, RB Jaylen Warren seized that title as he followed the key steps of being highly conditioned, playing fast, and quickly correcting mistakes when they occurred.
As the 2024 training camp gets underway, one new Steeler is quickly making his mark in practice and is firmly throwing his hat in the ring to be this year’s training camp darling: CB Beanie Bishop.
Bishop is already 24 years old, being a seasoned player coming out of the college ranks. He went undrafted out of West Virginia at the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft, but the former Mountaineer brings plenty of experience to Pittsburgh after playing six seasons for West Virginia, Minnesota, and Western Kentucky during his college career. He capped off his college career starting 13 games for West Virginia in 2023 and earned First-Team All-Big 12 Conference honors after posting 67 total tackles (54 solo), 20 pass breakups, and four interceptions.
Through the first couple days of training camp, Bishop has gotten most of the work in the slot as Pittsburgh’s starting nickel cornerback, with CB Cameron Sutton out the first eight games of the season due to suspension. On Friday’s practice, our very own Alex Kozora reported that Bishop handled the bulk of the slot reps and represented himself well in that role, blanketing WR Calvin Austin III and forcing an incompletion against WR Van Jefferson during the team period.
It’s only the first couple days of camp and a lot can happen, especially for Bishop as a rookie who will likely experience some ups and downs playing in the slot. Still, he’s doing a great job of following the criteria Warren set when he also came in as a former UDFA out of Oklahoma State and managed to win a spot on the roster as a rookie. He spoke to the media on Friday, stating that he’s trying to take advantage of all the reps he can get during practice and is playing with a chip on his shoulder after feeling overlooked and undervalued following going undrafted despite a strong 2023 season.
Check a couple of boxes there for Beanie Bishop, who looks to have a similar mindset that Warren had coming in and competing not only for a roster spot as an undrafted free agent but also a prominent role as the team’s potential starting slot cornerback. It’s a similar story to another former training camp darling in Pittsburgh a few years back: CB Mike Hilton. the former Steeler signed a futures contract with Pittsburgh following the 2016 season and came into 2017 training camp competing with William Gay and Senquez Golson for the starting nickel corner job, winning the job as a former UDFA out of Ole Miss in his second season.
Beanie Bishop possesses a similar physical playing style to Hilton’s as a smaller defensive back. Now, he will have the opportunity to accomplish what Hilton did in his rookie season. We still have to see what he can do in preseason action, but Beanie Bishop Jr. is set up well to deserve the training camp darling title through the first few days of practice.
