The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping for another direct hit with Beanie Bishop Jr. as a rookie college free agent. Bishop, out of West Virginia, is the only rookie undrafted player to make the 53-man roster this year. After unearthing RB Jaylen Warren in 2022, however, they failed to land any UDFAs to make the roster in 2023.
The Steelers love to tout their success with undrafted players, but the truth is they have mostly lacked their prior success in more recent years. Warren is more the exception that proves the rule than the rule itself, but Bishop can be the next.
Beanie Bishop Jr. signed with the Steelers after going undrafted during the 2024 NFL Draft. He consistently rose up the ranks until late, suffering an injury that limited him across the finish line. He missed the second preseason game and then only played the second half of the third. Yesterday, he officially made the initial 53-man roster.
The Steelers elected to play Thomas Graham Jr. in the first half—whom they released in favor of Bishop, notably. Head coach Mike Tomlin, after the game, cited the rookie’s limitations in practice due to injury for his position in the pecking order for that game. But the reality is he spent the good majority of camp running with the first-team offense.
As of this writing, Bishop is presumably in a position to open the season as the Steelers’ starting slot defender. They can potentially play some others there, like Jalen Elliott, Darius Rush, or a flexible safety. But he should be the leader in the clubhouse and the one with the chance to claim the job.
Many players slip out of the draft for reasons that have little to do with their actual talent. Most frequently it is because they lack ideal size, or possibly due to medicals, quality of competition, or off-field concerns.
In the case of both Beanie Bishop Jr. and Jaylen Warren, it’s a combination of size and quality of competition. Warren has already proven for the Steelers that he can compete at this level with his frame. It might be tougher for Bishop to do that, but he has a good model to follow in Mike Hilton.
Former Steelers CB James Pierre in 2020 is another recent college free agent who made the team as a rookie. Before parting, he made a career for himself here, primarily on special teams, but now he is available again.
Some other names in recent years include Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, Matthew Thomas, Fred Johnson, and Tyler Murphy. A bit older names will net you Ramon Foster, Eli Rogers, Steve McLendon, and Willie Parker. However, there is a reason players go undrafted, and that reason is an obstacle to them making a team.
Many undrafted players take a year to catch on, and Beanie Bishop Jr. is ahead of Mike Hilton there. Other former UDFAs who made their first 53 with the Steelers include James Harrison, Alejandro Villanueva, Matt Feiler, and Doug Legursky.
Beanie Bishop is the only rookie undrafted free agent to make the 53, but they may keep others. OLB Julius Welschof wass on the Reserve/Injured List prior to an injury settlement, but could return. The Steelers also kept FB Jack Colletto on the practice squad.
