Beanie Bishop Jr. started the season as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting slot corner. He ended it on the bench. What happens to him in 2025 rests in his hands. That’s the challenge – and warning – Mike Tomlin sent Sunday evening. Speaking with reporters at the league’s meetings, Tomlin wasn’t clear in who the team’s nickel corner will be this season.
“I thought [Beanie Bishop] made some plays, particularly as you look at cut ups,” Tomlin said via a team-issued transcript of the Q&A with reporters. “It was a good start for him, particularly being an undrafted guy the way that he was. It’s reasonable to expect him to continue to grow and take off and be able to do some more things.
“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, but that’s just the nature of this thing.”
Like the offensive line, Tomlin’s making sure none of the young players on the roster feel comfortable about their standing.
Left with virtually no other options, Bishop got the nod out of the gate as a rookie. In 2024, his competition was either hurt (Grayland Arnold) or suspended (Cam Sutton) while the Steelers did little else to boost the position. At his best, Bishop made splash plays and burst onto the NFL scene with a primetime two-interception performance of Aaron Rodgers in a Week 7 win. He became only the second rookie and first undrafted one to nab Rodgers twice in one game.
With two more picks to finish out the year, Bishop finished second on the team with four. That came despite losing snaps to Sutton following his Week 11 return. Bishop was reduced to a dime role and spent some games completely shut out of defensive snaps, logging a goose egg on Christmas Day against the Kansas City Chiefs. Sutton was the veteran but struggled and remains a free agent.
Pittsburgh’s first step in adding competition was signing Brandin Echols, a versatile inside-out corner as described by Tomlin during the Sunday session. Echols’ struggles as a tackler makes him a less-than-ideal option but his experience and own ball skills will give him a chance to win the job out of camp. The Steelers could, and should, add more help the rest of the offseason.
Since losing Mike Hilton after the 2020 season, Pittsburgh’s yet to find a long-term replacement. Perhaps Bishop can be that guy. But unlike 2024, his job will have to be truly earned on the field, though he has the impressive moments of a rookie season to remind the team why he should be squarely in contention.
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