If you had to narrow down the biggest and most pleasant surprise of training camp, undrafted rookie CB Beanie Bishop Jr. might be it. He has largely held down the starting slot corner duties since the first day of camp, and he has performed well.
Minkah Fitzpatrick was asked what he likes about Bishop’s performance so far after Sunday’s practice.
“Honestly, it’s more off the field stuff than on the field,” Fitzpatrick said in a video posted by Post-Gazette Sports on YouTube. “He’s a guy that’s eager to learn. He’s not a guy that you gotta chase down to get extra work in, extra film in. He’s always up under whether it’s me or DeShon [Elliott], or Donte [Jackson]. He’s trying to learn. He’s trying to get better any way that he can. And when you see a guy like that, there’s the type of guy that I like to play with.”
That is high praise coming from Fitzpatrick, who is big on hard work and preparation himself. If Bishop is going to become a rare Week 1 starter as a rookie UDFA, his extra work and preparation off the field are critical to his success and the success of the defense in sub-packages. Last year, the Steelers were in base defense just 34.6 percent of the time. Nickel and dime made up 57.1-percent of the defensive snaps. There is the potential for Bishop to play a significant role while Cam Sutton serves an eight-game suspension.
He cannot afford to be underprepared for one of the hardest positions on defense. Slot corners don’t need to be as big or as fast as outside corners, but they do need a solid understanding of how receivers want to attack the Steelers’ defense. There is more field to defend in the slot, and thus a wider array of routes that you need to be prepared for. The body types that he may face in the slot range from tight ends to speedsters like Calvin Austin III to big slots like Keenan Allen.
Mike Tomlin told reporters after the first couple days of practice that Bishop’s starting slot role in practice should not be overanalyzed, but that is becoming harder by the day. Veteran CB Josiah Scott was probably his top competition, and he was released by the team at the beginning of last week. That leaves Grayland Arnold and Thomas Graham Jr. as his biggest competition. The Steelers could use S DeShon Elliott in that role with Damontae Kazee filling in at safety when he does so.
Beanie Bishop’s performance during Friday night’s preseason game against the Houston Texans’ starters for a few drives is one of the biggest things to watch for. If he performs well, then he might have the inside track to be the Week 1 starter in the slot.
