Steelers A to Z: After a year at WVU, Beanie Bishop looking for home as slot corner

Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2024 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between June 14 and July 25. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.

CB Beanie Bishop Jr.

Experience/age: Rookie/24

Contract status: $803,333 if he makes the team in 2024

The past: Bishop took full advantage of the extra seasons provided by the coronavirus pandemic. He spent four years at Western Kentucky, transferred to Minnesota for the 2022 season and transferred again to West Virginia in 2023. He led all FBS defensive backs with 24 pass breakups last season, and he led the Mountaineers with four interceptions. He started all 13 games and was named to the first-team All-Big 12.

Bishop ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds at WVU’s pro day, and the Steelers signed him as a free agent after the draft, giving him a $25,000 signing bonus.

Trim ???? pic.twitter.com/czdlNhfO7c

— Beanie Bishop (@_sbx2) February 6, 2024

2024 outlook: At 5-foot-9, 182 pounds, Bishop is undersized to be an outside cornerback. That is fine with the Steelers, who used offseason workouts to look at Bishop as an option in the slot. Bishop even got some work with the first team, but that was before the Steelers brought back veteran cornerback Cam Sutton as a potential option in the slot.

The slot position, which was manned primarily by Chandon Sullivan last year, is one of the few spots on defense that has competition.

Bishop also had experience playing special teams in college, which heightens his chance to make the 53-man roster if he can show he’s worthy of a spot on Danny Smith’s units.