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Steelers Rookie CB Ready to Join Latest Installment of NFL’s Best Rivalry
Rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop is hoping to become the latest undrafted Steeler to impact their historic rivalry with the Ravens.
PITTSBURGH –Ā The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for their 61st meeting with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11. Every game has had a different collection of players, and Sunday will be no different. One of the newest players that is being introduced to the matchup is rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr., who is looking forward to being a part of the NFL’s best rivalry.
“It’s hatred. It’s going to be a chippy game. No love lost,” Bishop said. “I’ll probably talk to P.Q. [Patrick Queen] a little bit more about it since he was on the other side of the rivalry.”
Bishop has been one of the best stories of the 2024 season for the Steelers. The undrafted rookie out of West Virginia quickly established a role for himself as a starter on defense and has recorded 28 tackles (20 solo), three interceptions and five passes defensed.
RELATED: Beanie Bishop Gets First Career Interception against Future Hall of Famer
He will be asked to continue playing at a high level this week, and head coach Mike Tomlin may have the perfect story to make sure that happens.
“I’m sure at some point I’ll talk to guys about Isaac Redman being an undrafted free agent from Bowie [State] and everybody remembers the significant play he made in the latter portions of a game in Baltimore in time to get us out of a stadium,” Tomlin said. “There’s a lot of those stories. Guys like Beanie and others need to hear that so they can know that they’re capable as well. I think that’s what the history of this thing has taught me in terms of how to introduce new guys to it. I just simply tell stories of other regular men who are willing and capable and how it played out for them.”
In 2010, Redman caught the game-winning touchdown pass against the Ravens on 3rd-and-goal with just under three minutes to play. Former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch revealed Redman wasn’t even supposed to be in the game.
The best part of this play is that Red wasn't supposed to be in. We had the wrong personnel group in. So kuddos to Red for understanding the playback and knew which route he was suppose to run, and the rest is history. ššš https://t.co/eEUhYpL3Ww
— Charlie Batch (@CharlieBatch16) November 12, 2024
Nonetheless, Redman rose to the occasion, and Bishop may have a chance to make a similar impact this week.
Tomlin hopes Bishop can cement himself in history for the right reasons if that turns out to be true.
“I challenge people to find their space in it,” he said. “I think that’s the sentiment, or the attitude I have regarding the new guys, that these waters run deep, and a lot of guys have carved a place out for themselves in the history of this thing, and they’ve come to us in a variety of ways.”
As for Bishop, he is solely focused on helping the Steelers win their fifth straight game to keep the team’s goal of contending for a championship alive.
“You don’t go to the NFL to go against guys that didn’t make it to the NFL,” Bishop said. “You obviously want to go against and compete against the best, and ultimately, going to the Super Bowl to be the best team.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
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