Beanie Bishop Jr. was an unlikely starter last season at slot corner as an undrafted free agent. That role was born out of necessity with no other options on the Steelers’ roster, but he made the most of it by proving to be a sure tackler and nabbing four interceptions in the process. According to Mark Kaboly, his promising rookie campaign might not be enough to keep him around in Year 2.
“After two preseason games, I don’t know where Beanie Bishop fits in on this defense,” Kaboly wrote on X as part of his takeways from the Steelers’ Saturday night gamr against the Buccaneers. “He played 19 snaps and had one tackle, but more telling is that with the likes of [Brandin] Echols, James Pierre, Cory Trice [Jr.], Chuck Clark, and Juan Thornhill couple[d] with Bishop not being able to get on the field late last year, it worried me that his roster spot might be in trouble.”
Cameron Sutton took over his role late in the second half of last season, which probably wasn’t the best idea in hindsight as the veteran looked like a shell of his former self following a lengthy suspension.
With the additions of Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Echols, there is no real path to Bishop earning significant playing time this season without a major injury or two. That puts his roster spot in jeopardy, too.
Pittsburgh usually only keeps six cornerbacks and 10 total defensive backs. The locks to make the roster at corner are Joey Porter Jr., Ramsey, Slay, and Echols. The locks at safety are DeShon Elliott, Juan Thornhill, and Miles Killebrew. That likely leaves three total spots in the secondary, two at corner.
Bishop is purely a slot corner with some minor special teams value. Unfortunately for him, the Steelers have Ramsey and Echols who can play both inside and out. And their safety group has versatility to play in the slot as well. Chuck Clark provides depth at a thinner position group and can play either safety spot or in the slot.
Those last two corner spots will need to be core special teamers, and James Pierre fits the description as an excellent gunner on the punt-coverage unit. Bishop may have a path with that final spot, but the Steelers might be more inclined to keep Cory Trice Jr., Donte Kent, or even Daryl Porter around.
If Bishop doesn’t make the cut, it might be hard to stash him on the practice squad. Some team will take a young player with decent experience relative to his age and four interceptions.
I wrote about this possibility before training camp, and it’s more or less played out how I expected it to for Bishop.
