While Pittsburgh Steelers rookie CB Beanie Bishop Jr. started the season as the team’s slot corner and retained that role even after CB Cameron Sutton came back from an eight-game suspension, it was Sutton who was Pittsburgh’s primary slot corner Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Bishop played just six snaps against Cincinnati while Sutton played 45, and Mike Tomlin explained in his weekly press conference that it was a game-specific decision because the team was more confident in Sutton as a communicator and in recognizing the offensive “complexities” that a team like Cincinnati has.
“Just the complexities of what they do offensively, the fact that we were facing Joe Burrow. Some of the challenges in terms of how they move people around, I thought it would benefit us to have a more veteran guy in the interior of our sub package, and it would aid us not only in terms of concept recognition but communication,” Tomlin said Tuesday via the team’s YouTube channel. “Beanie still played in the game and he’s going to be a big-time component of what we do, and we’re pleased with his contributions thus far. But week in and week out we divide the labor up in an effort to win that game, and that’s why we were so excited about getting Cam back. He’s a Swiss army knife, he’s an awesome communicator, he’s a high-level professional.”
Tomlin added that the Steelers are just looking to put themselves in the best position to win and that there are things Bishop does better than Sutton that would allow him to see more playing time.
“It’s just really cool to have viable, capable guys for circumstances, because we’re going to divide the labor up as we see fit in order to position ourselves to win football games,” he said.
Even though Bishop has three interceptions this season, he’s still an undrafted rookie who has struggled at times. With the Bengals boasting one of the NFL’s best offenses and Joe Burrow playing at an incredibly high level, the Steelers didn’t want to test Bishop as much against a team that might look to go after him. Sutton hasn’t been particularly great this season, but he’s someone who’s familiar in Pittsburgh’s system and has years of experience. He has also matched up against Burrow and the Bengals before.
It doesn’t sound as if it’s a permanent switch from Bishop to Sutton in the slot, but the Steelers do seem to value Sutton’s veteran savvy and what he can bring in that regard. With the season entering the home stretch and Sutton getting up to speed after missing the first eight games of the season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if his usage increased over what it was when he first returned from suspension.
It’s not an indictment of Bishop as a player –he’s improved throughout the course of the season — but rather just going with a player who’s been in these situations before and whom the team trusts to handle a variety of roles in its defense. The snap disparity likely won’t continue to be as large as it was against Cincinnati, but Sutton’s experience likely gives him a leg up over Bishop with the Steelers fighting for a division title.
Tomlin said that Bishop will continue to be a component of Pittsburgh’s game plan and Sutton also offers flexibility at positions beyond slot corner. Pittsburgh could even put the two of them on the field at the same time. But with each win getting the Steelers closer to an AFC North title and the playoffs, putting together the best schematics and best game plan for each individual opponent rather than just relying on the continuity of what they’ve done all season is going to be the focus, and it could lead to more opportunities for a veteran like Sutton.
