Steelers Rookie Beanie Bishop Changes Jersey Number

The Pittsburgh Steelers' rookie slot cornerback has swapped out his number from the preseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. during rookie minicamp. Taylor Ollason | Pittsburgh Steelers

PITTSBURGH -- After making the cut and earning the starting slot cornerback job, Beanie Bishop Jr. has decided on a number for his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bishop will wear No. 31, a number that has all but been exclusive to defensive backs throughout Steelers history. Safety Keanu Neal was the most recent player to wear it for the team, doing so during the 2023 campaign.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Donnie Shell, Mike Logan, Ross Cockrell and Mike Hilton are some of the more notable names who have sported the number for the team throughout its history.

Pittsburgh has retired three numbers, though the franchise has a multitude of others that belonged to franchise legends and aren't issued anymore out of respect for those players despite not officially being decommissioned. Some examples include No. 12 for Terry Bradshaw, No. 43 for Troy Polamalu and No. 86 for Hines Ward.

As a result, the Steelers supply duplicate numbers as necessary throughout the preseason. Such was the case with Bishop, who shared No. 30 with Jaylen Warren and was forced to switch after he made the team's initial 53-man roster.

Bishop began his collegiate career at Western Kentucky wearing No. 29 ('18 - '20) before swapping it out for No. 21 in his final year at the school in 2021. He then transferred to Minnesota for the 2022 season, where he sported No. 7. Bishop's final stop was at West Virginia last year, and he chose to go with No. 11.

None of those numbers were up for grabs this year, however. No. 11 belongs to Van Jefferson, No. 21 is Darius Rush, Ryan Watts owns No. 29 and No. 7 belonged to Ben Roethlisberger, likely meaning no player will ever wear it again for the Steelers.

Bishop is the lone undrafted free agent from Pittsburgh's 2024 class who survived final cuts on Tuesday. He beat out Thomas Graham Jr. for the starting slot role after making six tackles and allowing three receptions this preseason.

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