Coaches expect players like Beanie Bishop Jr. to make a big jump in Year 2, but for the players, it’s a revelation. That’s what he is going through this offseason, just seeing how much he has grown since he got here. It helps that he got to play a lot as a rookie, but this year, he wants to make sure he keeps his job.
“It’s like night and day,” Bishop said of the differences between his first offseason and his second, via Pittsburgh’s DSEN. “It’s gonna be a crazy jump of what I know now versus what I knew then. Just knowing what I know now, it’s gonna be a lot better and a lot easier for me to be able to go out there and make plays and just be able to go out there and play fast.”
Bishop was a rarity in Steelers history for starting the season opener as an undrafted rookie. Even if he essentially gained that role through attrition, he slowly grew into it until the second half of the year, as Cameron Sutton ate into his snaps. Granted, if they had Sutton all season, he would have been the starter, anyway.
But Sutton’s eight-game suspension will have benefited Beanie Bishop as he goes into this year. He gained a lot of valuable playing experience, which will accelerate his growth this offseason. He talked about some of the areas in which he is looking to improve this offseason.
“Knowing more this year than I did last year. Whether that’s splits, whether that’s ways that offensive coordinators like to attack guys in the slot,” Bishop said. “To know, what am I gonna be most comfortable playing? How am I gonna be able to move around? Run fits and things like that, seeing the fronts. Being able to play faster and things slowing down a lot more, so I’m able to make more plays.”
As a rookie, Bishop picked off four passes, the most by a Steelers rookie since 1999. His nose for the ball in college is, of course, one of the qualities that the Steelers saw in him. While at times he may have looked like he was in over his head last season, he never let it get into his head. Or at least, he didn’t let it linger for too long.
This offseason, Beanie Bishop had a clear goal: to earn a full-time starting job with no caveats. He doesn’t want to be a placeholder or anything like that, but rather the next Mike Hilton—only a Mike Hilton with the speed to keep up with receivers in coverage. So far, the Steelers have him running with the starters during OTAs, but what will training camp look like? Either way, he is prepared for a fight.
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