Perhaps the biggest thing to come out of Thursday night’s final preseason game for the Pittsburgh Steelers was the injury to rookie DT Derrick Harmon. Thankfully, Harmon’s knee injury doesn’t appear to be too severe, as it is reportedly a sprained MCL. But what careful observers may have noticed was CB Beanie Bishop Jr.
Or, more accurately, the lack of Beanie Bishop on the field. His lack of playing time surprised a lot of people, including insider Mark Kaboly. He joined the PM Team on 93.7 The Fan Friday afternoon, and the hosts asked him about Bishop.
“I’m totally confused about this,” Kaboly said. “Maybe he was hurt. That’s the only reason I can think of. I don’t know to take it. I take it as you’re done. Maybe we don’t play you, we can get you on the practice squad type of situation. But to have a guy play no snaps in a game your DC calls important for him? I just don’t know where Beanie Bishop fits in here.”
Bishop was an undrafted free agent last year, and he had to fight up until the end of preseason to make the team playing nickel corner. He cemented a spot on the roster as a rookie and appeared in all 17 games last year, including seven starts. His biggest moment came against the New York Jets and now-Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers, when he had two interceptions in the Week 7 matchup.
But things have been much less optimistic for Bishop this offseason. Most people thought he’d have that nickel corner spot locked down after Cam Sutton was a dud in the back half of the season. But the Steelers went out and traded for CB Jalen Ramsey. Head coach Mike Tomlin has vowed to keep Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Joey Porter Jr. on the field as much as possible.
That makes things tougher for Bishop to see the field even as much as he did last season. But, as Kaboly pointed out, Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin had some words for Bishop. He pointed out that Bishop has more competition in the form of Ramsey and Brandin Echols. Austin also said that Bishop needed to “fight and work to make a splash”, especially in the final preseason game.
Obviously, Beanie Bishop did not make a splash against the Carolina Panthers Thursday night. Kaboly thought that perhaps this was a ploy to allow the Steelers to stash Bishop on the practice squad this year. It could also be an undisclosed injury. But no one expected Bishop not to log any snaps, which is exactly what happened.
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