With the Pittsburgh Steelers needing at least a temporary slot defender, Beanie Bishop Jr. could be their man. The rookie college free agent spent time running with the first-team defense in the first training camp of 2024. Asked about the rookie, CB Joey Porter Jr. sounded impressed with what he has seen so far.
“Just a young guy that’s ready”, he said of Bishop, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s YouTube channel. “Some guys have that mentality, coming in ready to play, and I think he has that. He’s a sponge. He’s learning, keeps growing every day, so I’m excited where he goes”.
Undrafted out of West Virginia, Beanie Bishop Jr. opted to join the Steelers, including a $25,000 signing bonus. That’s not a lot in NFL terms generally, but it’s a good amount based on the Steelers’ history of rookie free agent signing bonus. In other words, it was a good indication of how highly they think of him.
And the Steelers could very well see Bishop out on the field in Week 1. They brought back Cameron Sutton to play in the slot, but he will serve an eight-game suspension from the jump. They need to find bodies to fill those slot snaps at least until he returns, if not for longer.
Bishop picked off four passes with 20 passes defensed last year for West Virginia. His primarily small-school background and his short stature, however, did his draft stock no favors. The Steelers drafted a tall defensive back, Ryan Watts, in the sixth round, but they had no seventh-round pick.
Considering the way they intermittently gushed while talking about him, you have to wonder if the Steelers would have drafted him if they had another selection. “Beanie Bishop! I can’t tell you how excited we were to have an opportunity to sign Beanie Bishop after the draft”, general manager Omar Khan said after the draft when asked a question about the rookie.
Khan said at the time that Bishop would have a “great opportunity” to contribute as a rookie, including on defense. Many thought the signing of Sutton might have ruined his chances, but he may have an eight-week audition coming up.
Right now, the Steelers are just exploring their options, and Bishop is getting some of the early opportunities. They also used starting S DeShon Elliott in some nickel packages in the slot, with Damontae Kazee replacing him. No doubt Josiah Scott and perhaps others like Grayland Arnold will get some burn with the starters as well.
But you have to think the coaching staff would love to see a guy like Beanie Bishop Jr. emerge from the pack and take over that spot. He wasn’t a rookie at the time, but they handed the reins over to Mike Hilton some years ago. Bishop might be the best candidate to replace him since he left in free agency. Even as an undrafted player, he has consistently drawn enthusiasm about his potential. Now he has to go out there and make good on it. The opportunity for him is there, as Khan laid out two months ago.
