As an undrafted free agent last season, CB Beanie Bishop Jr. did about as well as anybody could have hoped for in a much larger role than anticipated. He played 50 percent of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive snaps and had the second-most interceptions on the team with four, including two against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. He is hoping for bigger and better things in his second season this year, and he laid out a list of team and personal goals that he would like to accomplish.
“People see stats, but I wanna have a bigger impact on the game,” Bishop said via The Christian Kuntz Podcast during the 2025 NFL Draft last week. “Obviously I want to, as far as the team goes, I want to win the [AFC] North, get a home-field playoff game first of all, and be able to win here. And make the Pro Bowl.”
The Pro Bowl is a lofty goal, but it might not be as far off as it seems. Bishop’s four interceptions resulted in him placing 10th in the fan portion of the vote last year. He has the attention of Steelers fans, and another multi-interception season could command the attention of other players and coaches to have a shot at the Pro Bowl.
Mike Tomlin often talks about the expected jump that players make going from Year 1 to Year 2 as they have a full year of experience under their belts and a full offseason preparing for a season instead of the various pre-draft distractions.
Bishop showed last year that he can tackle and he showed that he can make plays on the football. He will have an opportunity to build on his strengths and improve on some of the things that held him back
Nothing will be given to him, but that’s something he is used to as a former undrafted free agent. Tomlin made it known that he will have to fight for his starting role once again.
“Excited about the upside of him, but certainly he’s going to be faced with some competitive challenges in terms of re-earning that role in 2025,” Tomlin told Steelers reporters at the end of March in a team-provided transcript.
Who will be his primary competition? Brandin Echols has experience both in the slot and out wide. He could push Bishop for playing time in the slot, though Bishop has a clear edge over him in terms of tackling.
The Steelers also drafted Donte Kent in the seventh round. He functioned primarily as a slot corner during his last two seasons in college. That will be another layer of competition for Bishop to overcome.
However lofty the goals may be, it’s hard to doubt Bishop after what he accomplished in an impressive rookie season.
