Player: CB Beanie Bishop Jr.
Stock Value: Sold
Reasoning: In a mildly surprising move, the Steelers released CB Beanie Bishop Jr. from the practice squad yesterday. Presumably to make room for WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the 2024 UDFA has gone from underdog to unemployed. He could always circle back at any point, but the Steelers chose to release him over others.
The Steelers already made their thoughts about Beanie Bishop Jr. clear when he didn’t make the 53-man roster. Now he isn’t even on the practice squad, the team officially releasing him yesterday. As of this writing, they haven’t made a corresponding move, but it presumably opens a spot for WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
If that is indeed the Steelers’ intention, though, why did they choose Bishop to release? Why not one of the wide receivers, John Rhys Plumlee or Isaiah Hodgins? Why not Max Hurleman, who for some reason they still list as a running back?
The Steelers signed Beanie Bishop last year as a college free agent, who made the initial 53-man roster. He spent the first half of his rookie season as their primary nickel defender, but fell out of favor in the second half of the year when veteran Cameron Sutton returned from an eight-game suspension.
Bishop intercepted four passes as a rookie, but the Steelers evidently didn’t see enough potential to continue developing him on the 53-man roster. While they made significant renovations to that room, they still didn’t feel the need to promote him even amid injuries.
Players cycle one and off practice squads throughout the season, so there’s a good chance we haven’t heard the last of Bishop with the Steelers. Still, it’s at least mildly interesting that they chose to release him. Unless he asked for his release, it suggests that perhaps they value him even less than previously thought. You don’t often go from sub-package starter with four interceptions to unemployed from one season to the next. Especially coming off of your rookie season.
With regular season underway and the roster in place, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of thatchange the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract. Oh, and they also traded some guy named George Pickens, which people found significant.
After a long offseason, we finally know what this Steelers team will look like for the 2025 season. The dust is long settled on both free agency andthe 2025 NFL Draft, and now we’re into the real thing . What final moves might the team make, if any? They’ve certainly made a flurry of moves, though some question whether they make much difference. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
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