As an undrafted free agent out of West Virginia, there are some anxious hours and moments ahead on Tuesday for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Beanie Bishop Jr.
Already a longshot after going undrafted, Bishop faces an uphill climb in making the Steelers’ 53-man roster after missing one preseason game due to injury. Despite being that longshot, Bishop is taking some solace in the anxious hours and moments ahead that he did enough to show the team just what he can do.
“I kind of proved the plays that I can make,” Bishop said to reporters Monday following practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, according to video via the Johnstown-Tribune’s Amanda Godsey on YouTube. “Physicality and different things like that. And being able to cover, not only a rundown nickel, I can cover the slot.
“Guarding Calvin [Austin III], Scotty [Miller] and those guys and just being able to make plays down the field and in the run game as well.”
Bishop got off to a good start in training camp, running as the first-team slot cornerback on loaded Steelers defense, stepping into a role that had plenty of question marks entering the summer. He made some plays in the summer, too, including a pick-six on a blitz from the slot cornerback position. He also held his own in matchups against guys like Calvin Austin III and Scotty Miller, two smaller, shiftier receivers and types he’ll see in the slot moving forward in the NFL.
Despite some of the flash in training camp, Bishop saw just 40 snaps in the preseason, missing the matchup against the Buffalo Bills due to injury, putting him a bit behind the 8-ball in his uphill climb for the slot cornerback position.
That led to Bishop running behind veteran Thomas Graham Jr. at slot cornerback entering the preseason finale against the Detroit Lions. Bishop played 20 snaps and finished the preseason with a grade of just 48.3 overall from Pro Football Focus, including a 58.6 in coverage and a 31.4 against the run.
Those grades are rather concerning, but it’s a small sample size. He didn’t miss a tackle, which is key, and allowed just three receptions for 31 yards. All three receptions allowed came against Houston in the preseason opener, too. He wasn’t targeted in the loss to the Lions.
While there is a spot available for Bishop on the Steelers as the slot cornerback, he didn’t exactly seize the opportunity during training camp and the preseason. That has left the door open for a guy like Graham, putting Bishop’s future on the 53-man roster in jeopardy entering Tuesday.
He believes he showed the Steelers want he can do, especially in training camp. But will that be enough? We’ll find out that answer today as GM Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin make the final roster decisions. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Bishop and the slot cornerback position.
