Steelers' Mike Tomlin Seriously Downplayed Beanie Bishop Jr's Rise On The Depth Chart

The Pittsburgh Steelers are well into their third week of training camp and are preparing for their first preseason game against the Houston Texans. While everyone anticipated watching the quarterbacks perform, hoping for some competition, other groups have proven to be more interesting than expected. As with every training camp, there are always some rookies who seem to exceed expectations and rise to the top. This year, a player that is surprising many is undrafted rookie free agent, Beanie Bishop Jr.

This is good news for fans who have been concerned about the lack of depth at that position heading into the regular season. The Steelers have second-year Joey Porter Jr. as their top corner and Donte Jackson, acquired in their Diontae Johnson trade lined up across from him. But they have been missing a solid slot corner. They chose to re-sign former Black and Gold team member Cam Sutton, knowing he was facing a suspension for alleged domestic violence charges.   

Bishop has taken camp by storm, earning accolades from the media and the coaches for how he seems to fly all over the field. During his weekly training camp press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin seemed to downplay the apparent success the young cornerback has been finding in camp. Bishop is listed as the starting nickleback on the first depth chart of the season, and Tomlin was asked what he has done to earn it, despite Sutton being suspended and Grayland Arnold being injured.   

"You said it, Cam's not in there, G. Arnold has missed some time with a soft tissue injury, so I wouldn't overanalyze his positioning in the depth chart," said Tomlin with a chuckle. "But to Beanie's credit, he has done some nice things in this camp and throughout the developmental process dating back to the spring... I am excited about seeing him in the stadium, particularly some of the things that come along with that position on first and second-down football - blitzing and so forth. I'm excited to see him in some real action there."

That seems to contradict what fans have seen with their eyes and even Tomlin's words. Just a few days prior, he suggested that Bishop was earning his way up the depth chart with the excellent wide receiver coverage he has been providing. He said that camp is run to be tough, but fair. If you win enough of the battles during exercises against the offense, you move up the depth chart, and if not, you move down. 

Bishop has certainly shown that he has the tenacity to be successful in the NFL. Many analysts were surprised when he went undrafted after his success at West Virginia University last season. During the NFL Combine, they noted that he led the NCAA in 2023 in passes defended with 24 and had four interceptions. He was noted to have solid footwork and was a willing and aggressive tackler. 

Steelers' Beanie Bishop Jr. Is Reminding Some Of Another Talented Player

The biggest knock on Bishop is that he is a bit undersized at 5'9" and 180 lbs., but the Steelers have seen that before. Mike Hilton, who was also an undrafted free agent and nearly the exact same size as Bishop, spent time in the Steel City.  

During his five seasons with Pittsburgh, Hilton proved to be one of the best slot corners in the league. Unfortunately, he left the Steelers to sign with a division rival, the Cincinnati Bengals, in 2020. He remains with them to this day.  

Hilton, like Bishop, surprised many with his talent, and since he left, no player has been able to lock down the corner position in the same way. If history continues to repeat itself, then Bishop might prove to be just what the Steelers have been missing. He will have at least eight games to prove his worth as Sutton is serving his suspension. 

What do you make of Tomlin dismissing Bishop's rise up the depth chart? Click to comment below. 

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