Pittsburgh Steelers rookie CB Beanie Bishop Jr. debuted last night, logging 20 defensive snaps. He opened the game as the team’s starting slot cornerback, coming onto the field for the second defensive snap.
In total, he registered four tackles defensively, also playing on special teams. So where does that leave Bishop in the eyes of head coach Mike Tomlin? Is he more confident in the rookie as the potential starting slot corner than he was going in?
“It does not”, Tomlin said. “I thought he did some good things tonight, but we’ve got a lot of work in front of us and opportunities for a young guy like him to really round out his game from a detail perspective”.
The Steelers are auditioning slot cornerback candidates, having at least half a season’s worth of games to make up. While they brought back Cameron Sutton, a proven player in that arena, he will miss the first eight regular-season games due to suspension. The Steelers are hoping that Bishop can fill in the gap, at least, if not make the job his.
A 2024 college rookie free agent, Beanie Bishop Jr. worked his way through small-school colleges, playing his senior season at West Virginia where he shared a locker room with Steelers second-round pick Zach Frazier. One of the smallest players on the roster, the Steelers have tested him at every opportunity.
It’s hard to say that Bishop passed his first test, his debut coming with the expected ups and downs. I recall one play in particular when he lost Steven Sims over the middle for a third-down conversion.
The Steelers do seem to like Grayland Arnold, a veteran, as another option in the slot. He was making some headway in training camp with some ball skills, but he is currently sidelined due to injury. Another option, aside from Bishop or Thomas Graham Jr., is to use a third safety.
But the Steelers really seem like they’re pulling hard for Bishop to win the job. I sense that they see another Mike Hilton in him, a player with a complete skill set. He isn’t quite as physical as Hilton, but Bishop is faster and stickier in coverage.
That notwithstanding, he understands that his resume right now is what he does inside stadiums. Last night, Bishop showed some good and some bad. He is certainly trending toward earning a roster spot, but claiming a starting job as a rookie college free agent is a significant move.
Fortunately for him, he has two more opportunities in the preseason to state his case. And now that the Steelers have a game under their belts, they have some Beanie Bishop Jr. film to go over. That is the best way for a young player to improve, by learning from their mistakes. Including what went wrong in traffic on that third-down play for Sims.
