The Pittsburgh Steelers just completed their 2025 preseason after beating the Carolina Panthers by a score of 19-10 on Thursday night. This was a crucial game for some players battling for positioning on the depth chart, or fighting to just earn a spot on the final 53-man roster. The last game of the preseason is often where the bottom of the final roster is going to be decided, while the coaching staff will also keep work done in practice in mind. However, performance in an actual stadium is something that Head Coach Mike Tomlin values.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin roams the practice field as his team works out during a 2025 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
One player who was going to need to play well in the preseason finale to solidify his spot on the roster was slot cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. The defender was said to be in a position battle, which is something that Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin said himself. His play in the game on Thursday was going to be important, but the second-year corner did not even see the field.
A couple of days after DC Teryl Austin said that this game was going to be big for Beanie Bishop, Bishop didn't play (per the gamebook).
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) August 22, 2025
In Pittsburgh's base nickel defense, more often than not, Jalen Ramsey will likely be the slot cornerback. However, in obvious passing situations, or when the opposing offense has more wide receivers on the field, more cornerbacks will be needed. Bishop and Brandin Echols were said to be competing against one another for that top backup spot at slot cornerback, but Bishop did not even get the chance to play in the preseason finale.
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Steelers' Beanie Bishop Jr. during mandatory minicamp in 2025.
It is interesting to wonder why Bishop did not get the opportunity to play against Carolina, especially after it was said that the game was going to be crucial for the young cornerback. It could mean that the coaching staff felt like Bishop had done enough to make the final roster in some capacity, or Pittsburgh could be holding him out for a potential trade that could be in the works. Echols has plenty of experience and more positional versatility, and both things are valued by the Steelers.
Fans won't likely find out about the future of Bishop until the final rosters are announced on Tuesday, but there will likely be a bit of an uproar if he is not wearing the black and gold in 2025. The undrafted Bishop became a fan favorite during the 2024 season as he started immediately, and he quickly became a playmaker. It took some time for him to adjust to the NFL, but he seemed to find his footing as the year went on. He recorded four interceptions during his rookie year, including two off of his current quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Steelers' Beanie Bishop Jr.'s Future Is Unknown
After recording four interceptions during his rookie season in 2024, many fans believed Bishop's roster spot would be safe going into the 2025 season. That is clearly not the case, although the organization may be looking to see if he could be dealt. This is common practice near the end of the preseason.
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Steelers cornerback Beanie Bishop celebrating a big play versus the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.
If a player is drawing interest from other franchises, it is smart to hold that player out of games to avoid any injury that could hurt their trade value. That is a possibility in this scenario, while the coaching staff also could have decided that Bishop will be on the final roster. The only issue with that frame of thought is that starters in the secondary played on Thursday, so there wouldn't really be a reason not to play Bishop if coaches felt as though he already earned a roster spot.
What do you think will happen with Bishop? Let us know in the comments below!
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