As a young player trying to carve out a role not only in the NFL but also within the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense, rookie undrafted free agent cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. is turning to a great source of knowledge in the secondary.
That would be veteran safety and perennial All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick.
As the starting slot corner for the Steelers, Bishop is still trying to get his feet underneath him in the NFL, especially after a limited preseason. So, not only does he take questions to Fitzpatrick, he also studies him and watches how he prepares and carries himself throughout the week.
In the process, Beanie Bishop hopes that some of Fitzpatrick’s ball-magnet abilities rub off on him, too.
“Minkah man, like…sometimes I don’t even ask him questions, I just watch him and see what he does and just try to take some, some things from his game,” Bishop said to reporters Monday from the locker room, according to video via Steelers.com. “This week, I’m gonna just see how he watches film and things like that, just to try to see what he sees.
“‘Cause he’s always around the ball; he’s a ball magnet. So I just want that to rub off on me a little bit.”
Throughout his career, Fitzpatrick has always been around the ball. He’s a turnover-creating machine. Though he didn’t do that last season, the All-Pro vowed to return to his “Minkah Ball” ways this season. Now, he has an audience daily in Bishop, who was good at being around the ball and making plays in college.
Beanie Bishop played 33 snaps in his first regular-season game as a Steeler, finishing with four tackles and one run stop, according to Pro Football Focus.
Bishop had some issues in coverage on the day, allowing four receptions on four targets. Though the receptions went for just 22 yards total, one of them ended up in the end zone to tight end Kyle Pitts, who was able to sneak in behind Bishop in the red zone for a touchdown.
It was just his first game, and he should be able to learn and grow from it overall. Being attached to the hip of Fitzpatrick and keeping an eye on everything he does in an effort to try to learn and grow that way is a good plan for Beanie Bishop early on in his career.
Hopefully it pays off for him as he continues to try and carve out a role.
