Steelers CB Beanie Bishop Beats George Pickens - Twice
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers made Beanie Bishop the first man with an opportunity to replace suspended Cam Sutton in the slot cornerback role. But unlike most years, they haven't moved him from that spot, and with plenty of chances to shine, the undrafted rookie has taken on the challenge and ran.
Bishop has been the team's biggest standout heading into the seventh practice of training camp. The West Virginia star didn't have a single team believe in him during the NFL Draft, but has quickly made everyone think twice, and for the Steelers, they're feeling like they found a diamond in the rough.
Bishop has now completed and won his biggest challenge of camp to this point. During 1-on-1 drills, Pittsburgh coaches could be heard yelling, "I want Beanie," signaling for the rookie to step in. Against who? Both times, it was to face the team's top receiver, George Pickens.
Both times, Bishop won.
Bishop's first try came with a pass breakup where he ran with Pickens into the corner of the endzone and was able to stick his hand between the receiver and the ball. The second time was a bit more challenging, as Pickens went up for a jump ball and clearly had the size over Bishop. Coming down, however, Bishop was able to create enough contact with Pickens that it forced the ball out for an incompletion.
The Steelers are looking at Bishop as their Week 1 starter in the slot. Unless Grayland Arnold can surpass him, it's hard to imagine something changing, and right now, it's starting to feel like maybe we should shift from "can Bishop make the roster" to "how good can Bishop be?"
Right now, the Steelers have to be thinking Bishop is the next "little angry man" who's going to turn into a star in Pittsburgh.