Will Beanie Bishop Jr. regain the Steelers’ nickel defender job?
Last year, Beanie Bishop became the very rare Steelers rookie college free agent to start the season opener. Even though his play didn’t decline, he lost his starting role gradually after Cameron Sutton’s return from his suspension. Sutton is now long gone, but the Steelers brought in more competition for Bishop.
It’s not the most daunting competition in the world, though. Really, the Steelers’ starting slot job comes down to Beanie Bishop and Brandin Echols. Echols is a fifth-year veteran with about 1,400 snaps to his name and five interceptions. Most of his playing time, however, came during his rookie season.
Will that end up being Bishop’s story, too, or will he build upon his beginnings? He did record four interceptions for the Steelers last season, including two off of Aaron Rodgers. Some of his picks were virtual freebies, but he does have ball skills.
Bishop has the inherent problem of a lack of size, which he can’t do anything about. The Steelers have no problem playing their angry little men in the slot, though. It really started with 5-10 William Gay, continuing with Mike Hilton, then Arthur Maulet, and Chandon Sullivan. Bishop is the latest, with the 5-10 Echols challenging him.
There is nothing saying the Steelers have to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach in the slot, though. In the past, they have taken the opportunity to deploy a range of personnel depending on the circumstances. I’m not sure the skill sets of Beanie Bishop and Brandin Echols are so diverse that they make a big difference.
The Steelers were high on Bishop when they signed him as a college free agent last year. Since they didn’t have a seventh-round pick, I have wondered if they would have drafted him at that point. They prioritized him after the draft, and he paid dividends.
But that was him getting his foot in the door, and now he has to walk through. The question is, can Beanie Bishop Jr. be a starter on the Steelers’ defense? Because that’s what the slot defender is, playing 60-70 percent of the snaps.
The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. While it looks like they are keeping George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The 2025 NFL Draft class is now in place, so most of the roster construction is complete.
But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. Certain will-he-or-won’t-he situations remain in play, which we continue to monitor. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.
