Steelers Slot CB Beanie Bishop Could Be X-Factor Against Falcons: ‘I’m Ready for the Challenge’

Pittsburgh Steelers slot cornerback Beanie Bishop will be a player to keep an eye on in Sunday’s season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. With it being his first career start, the Falcons could target him early and often.

Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin expects the undrafted rookie out of West Virginia to be prepared for the challenge. If not, it will be a long afternoon.

“You never know,” Austin said on Thursday when asked if Bishop will be heavily targeted. “Like most things, we always prepare our guys for that. If you’re a young guy out there, you’ve just got to be ready. You will be tested, and if you handle the test, then they’ll go away from you. But if you don’t handle the test, you can expect it to keep coming.”

Playing outside cornerback at West Virginia last year, the 5-foot-9 Bishop led the NCAA in passes defended. Due to his size, Bishop is used to being viewed as a mismatch.

“It’s something I’m kind of used to being a smaller corner,” Bishop said. “They feel that big-bodied guys can kind of manhandle me in a sense. But, you know, I’m ready for the challenge. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be able to make plays the more passes that they throw at me. I’ll be able to make a lot of plays if they keep coming at me.”

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Beanie Bishop runs with the ball at training camp on Aug. 4, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

It’s unknown who Bishop will be matched up against in the slot on Sunday, but he could get a heavy dose of former Steeler Ray-Ray McCloud. The Falcons are expected to run a lot of 11 personnel, which will provide a lot of opportunity for Bishop.

“It’s kind of unknown because a lot of their starters didn’t really play (in the preseason),” Bishop said when asked about what he knows about the Falcons slot receivers. “We have to look at their personnel and see what kind of guys will play in certain spots. We obviously know the coordinator (Zac Jackson) has a Sean McVay background. So just trying to figure out who’s going to be in the slot. Obviously they have Drake London, Kyle Pitts and other guys. Ray-Ray McCloud is going to be moving around, I don’t know how much he’s going to play slot receiver, or if he’s just going to be motioning. We’ll have to figure that kind of stuff out by drive one or two.”

Undrafted rookie Beanie Bishop is the only slot cornerback on the Steelers 53-man roster, but head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that doesn’t mean that Bishop has earned a starting job just yet. The Steelers didn’t elevate anyone during the week, so Bishop will get his shot to prove himself on Sunday.

“We have player elevation opportunities and things of that nature in the course of a work week that determines how we divide the labor up,” Tomlin said. “Beanie is an exciting, young guy. We’ll watch him during the week, along with some others, and we’ll make decisions at the end of the week that’s best suited for winning this game.”

Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.