The Pittsburgh Steelers have a crowded situation at cornerback after the team made several moves at the position group this offseason and that could be bad news for Beanie Bishop.
Bishop's spot wasn't exactly secure to begin with after an up-and-down first season in the NFL, but the additions of Darius Slay, Jalen Ramsey and Brandin Echols made things more precarious for him.
Even defensive coordinator Teryl Austin didn't make any promises when it comes to Bishop's spot on the roster. In fact, Austin made it sound like the young slot cornerback is in big trouble.
"He's really got to fight and work to make some splash to put himself in the picture," Austin said, per Mike DeFabo of The Athletic.
With the situation as it is now, Eric Edholm of NFL.com tabbed Bishop as one of the players who could get traded ahead of cutdown day, which falls on Aug. 26.
Last year, Bishop was quite the find -- an undrafted free agent who played all 17 games, started six and plucked four INTs (including two vs. current teammate Aaron Rodgers). At worst, it appeared Bishop had a nice future in Pittsburgh. But the Steelers signed Darius Slay and Brandin Echols and traded for Jalen Ramsey this offseason, pushing Bishop to the margins. With multiple players already capable of playing the nickel, Bishop might be expendable. DB coach Teryl Austin recently said Bishop needed to "fight and work to get some splash to get in the picture." It wouldn't be stunning if the Steelers floated him in a trade.
Despite the fact that he's fighting for his roster spot, Bishop did not play in the final dress rehearsal against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night. It remains unclear why, but it's hard to imagine the reason is because he's safe after what Austin said.
Bishop could very well draw some interest around the NFL.
The 2024 undrafted free agent was good on paper in 2024, giving up a completion rate of 57.1% and a passer rating of 59.5 when targeted.
He was, however, plagued by inconsistency. Even still, we could definitely see a team taking a swing on the 25-year-old corner in a trade involving a late Day 3 pick.
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