The Steelers “need” a No. 2 receiver, but do they also need a slot cornerback before they begin training camp? Last year, they went into the season with undrafted rookie Beanie Bishop Jr., but with Cameron Sutton as a reinforcement. That plan didn’t work out too well, mostly because of Sutton, though, who is no longer here.
With Joey Porter Jr. and the addition of Darius Slay, they have their outside cornerbacks for this season, at least. But is Bishop the Steelers’ slot cornerback, a player they should trust? If not, do they have enough alternatives that would discourage them from making unnecessary additions?
Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, at least, thinks the Steelers should invest in a slot cornerback by training camp. “There’s not much depth behind Beanie [Bishop],” he wrote last week. “Brandin Echols has done it in the league, I’m just not sure he’s a full-time type of guy there, given the physicality required. Donte Kent is an unproven 7th-rounder. And the UDFA safety from Iowa, Sebastian Castro, told me he hasn’t been used there so far.”
The Steelers have had a revolving door at slot cornerback since letting Mike Hilton leave in free agency in 2021. In the time since, they have used Arthur Maulet, Chandon Sullivan, Sutton, Bishop, and even Patrick Peterson. Thus far, they have not settled on an answer, but could be holding out hope for Bishop.
An undrafted rookie out of West Virginia, Bishop began the 2024 season as the Steelers’ slot cornerback. But they evidently just hoped he could last until Sutton returned from his eight-game suspension. Inadvisably, in hindsight, they gradually bled Bishop’s playing time in favor of Sutton, who did not improve communication issues.
Although Bishop intercepted four passes last season, at least two were sort of “gimme” picks, one a tip drill after having been beaten over the top. Like most of the Steelers’ slot cornerbacks recently, he is undersized, but that has developed into the norm.
If the Steelers wanted to run it back in the slot cornerback role, Mike Hilton is technically still available. But he is also on the wrong side of 30 and clearly on the decline. Outside of his experience, Bishop is just a younger, quicker version of him. Arthur Maulet is available, too, for that matter…and now 32 years old. Of course, Sutton is out of the league and will likely remain so.
But believe it or not, there are actually slot cornerbacks the Steelers haven’t already employed. The question is whether they feel they need to add somebody, at least right now. Beanie Bishop ran with the starters basically all spring. They also signed Echols, as Batko mentioned, and drafted Kent. But is that sufficient depth to last them through the season? Unless they use Juan Thornhill in the slot, I’m not so sure. Echols and Kent don’t even have roster spots locked up.
