Former Mountaineer cornerback Beanie Bishop had a meteoric rise from a role player garnering little attention at Minnesota to becoming an All-American at West Virginia. Now, it appears that he isn't quite done with that journey, as he is turning an undrafted free agent opportunity with the Pittsburgh Steelers into a potential starting job.
It was reported earlier this week that Bishop was earning first-team reps at slot cornerback on Day 1 on the Steelers' Training Camp, and now it appears he may be remaining at the position for awhile. Bishop was taking reps with the first-team again on Day 2, locking down receivers such as Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson, and only getting beat once over the course of the two sessions.
Bishop has also impressed his new teammates, such as veteran safety DeShon Elliott, who shared his thoughts on Bishop with the media.
"Little Beanie man, he is doing good," Elliott said "Rook, doing his best, learning everyday, asking questions everyday. Coming to my dorm room and bothering me everyday, but I love that boy. I think is going to be a great player if he keeps being persistent, keep wanting to learn and grow and listening to the coaches and follow the leadership of the older guys. I think he will be fine."
Pittsburgh Steelers media outlet Steelers Depot picks a "Training Camp Darling" each season, an unknown player who ends up with a spot on the final roster and makes contributions to the team during the season. They believe that Bishop is positioned to take the honor in 2024.
Bishop has told the press that he is trying to take advantage of the opportunities he gets during the offseason and preseason, and is focused on competing for a spot on the depth chart this fall. With Cam Sutton, a fixture in the slot cornerback role for the Steelers, set to serve an eight-game suspension this season, these early reps and impressions could be crucial to getting Bishop an opportunity to show his ability on the field this season.