The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have many options left for the nickel position, but they still like Beanie Bishop Jr. The rookie has run with the first-team defense for most of the summer and is in the final phase of essentially auditioning for the starting job for the season opener.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin held him out last week, citing a minor nick. That’s because he knew how important this week would be to a player like Bishop and didn’t want any setbacks. Presuming there hasn’t been any, Saturday against the Lions marks a pivotal day for the rookie.
“Much like the center position, we’ve got some guys with some flexibility, and so it lessens that concern”, Tomlin said, via transcript provided by the Steelers’ media department, about the slot cornerback position. “I’m really just more focused on the guys that are available to us this week. It’s a big week for Beanie, obviously, missing the last performance, and so we’ll just keep working”.
A rookie college free agent out of West Virginia, Beanie Bishop Jr. has drawn buzz throughout the offseason. Though he only played at a bigger college one year, he showed off his ball skills. He lacks size, but he has speed and is willing to hit. Having watched Mike Hilton’s film, he wants to be the Steelers’ next “angry little man” in the slot.
Since allowing Hilton to walk in free agency, the Steelers have lacked stability in the slot cornerback role. Arthur Maulet held the job, primarily, for two years, and last year, Chandon Sullivan served in that capacity. They released Maulet (at his request) in 2023, signing Sullivan, whom they did not re-sign this offseason. They didn’t even add any major candidates in free agency, nor draft one, signing Bishop as a college free agent.
While the Steelers did draft a cornerback, he was an outside guy—and now they moved Ryan Watts to safety. Bishop is the only one really equipped to do the job at this point, at least until Cameron Sutton returns. The veteran is due to serve an eight-game suspension at the start of the season, during which time they need somebody they can depend on to man the job.
They are hopeful that man is Beanie Bishop Jr., but they need to see how he handles this week. This is the week during which the Steelers should play their starters the most, against a team playing its starters the most. This is the week they will actually game plan and gear up for the start of the regular season.
That’s why Tomlin sacrificed last Saturday’s game for Bishop knowing how important this week is. He didn’t want Bishop to turn a small issue into a big one and squander the opportunity in front of him, including potentially a starting job.
The Steelers had other candidates, but they are largely out of the picture. There was Josiah Scott early, then Grayland Arnold. Thomas Graham Jr. is endeavoring to make things interesting, but the job is Bishop’s if he holds his own. At least that is the distinct impression I get, and I’m sure I’m not alone.
