The Pittsburgh Steelers revamped their cornerback room this offseason. They signed Brandin Echols and Darius Slay, and also traded for Jalen Ramsey. Before training camp, it was unclear what the division of labor would look like for that group. Now, that picture is a little clearer. Slay and Joey Porter Jr. figure to be the starters on the outside, with Ramsey moving around the defense.
However, the backup slot corner job isn’t solidified yet. Teryl Austin likes what he’s seen out of Beanie Bishop Jr., but isn’t willing to hand him that job yet.
“I think he’s reacted well, he’s competed well,” Austin said recently via Pittsburgh’s DSEN on YouTube. “I thought he performed well Saturday. He’s got some room for improvement, like we all do. But I think that’s a place where that competition is going to go all the way down to the wire and we’ll see how it shakes out at the end.”
Last year, Bishop held the Steelers’ starting slot corner job for most of the year. However, once Cam Sutton returned from his suspension, the two of them rotated more, with Bishop seeing less time on the field. He made the most of his opportunities, though. As an undrafted rookie, Bishop recorded four interceptions, with some of those coming in clutch moments.
Despite that, Bishop’s roster spot didn’t seem secure when training camp starter. That wasn’t due to anything he did. The Steelers just have a lot of bodies at corner. Porter, Ramsey and Slay are all basically locks to make the team. That only left two or three spots left in that room.
Bishop’s path was even less clear because he’s really only a slot corner. He lacks versatility, which cannot be said about Echols, who has experience playing in the slot and outside. That seemed to give him a leg up on Bishop when it came to securing the backup nickel corner job.
However, Bishop helped his case in the Steelers’ first preseason game, with Austin praising his performance.
“I think he did a steady job. There was no splash in the game, but I thought it was steady,” Austin said. “It was assignment sound. He tackled well, he ran. He did all the things we asked him to do. But I still think this is a competition that’s been in camp. Really, it’s been all offseason. We won’t know how that finishes up for him until the end of camp.”
If Bishop continues to play well in the preseason, he could secure his roster spot. Echols could be a backup outside corner, making way for Bishop to be the primary reserve in the slot. None of the other corners who are competing for a roster spot showed much flash in the preseason opener, either. Bishop hasn’t won the job yet, Austin made sure to make that clear, but he’s moving in a positive direction.
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