Former Steelers CB Beanie Bishop terrorizes Browns in preseason opener

The Pittsburgh Steelers once had an undersized, tough-as-nails, undrafted slot corner blossom into a legitimate impact player for them as a rookie. That player was Mike Hilton, who would go on to play nine seasons in the NFL, with four of them coming in a Steelers uniform.

Fast forward to 2024, and many fans thought they struck gold again with West Virginia defensive back Beanie Bishop Jr., who made the team as an UDFA and intercepted four passes during a solid rookie campaign. Unfortunately for Bishop, his stay in Pittsburgh was a short one. He failed to make the 53-man roster in 2025, ending up on the practice squad before being released in November.

He caught on with the Saints practice squad in December, but a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy led to his release this offseason. However, it appears his story isn't over yet. Bishop recently signed with the Chicago Bears, and he immediately made an impact by intercepting two different Browns quarterbacks in their preseason game Saturday afternoon.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers CB Beanie Bishop Jr. resurfaces with big day against the Browns

Bishop's time in Pittsburgh may have ended quicker than he deserved, but it wasn't without reason. He struggled to cover his assignments with any level of consistency, instead making an impact by creating turnovers with his excellent ball skills. That trait was on full display during his performance Saturday against Cleveland, starting with this interception of Shedeur Sanders.

As you can clearly see, Bishop didn't exactly undercut a route or make some insane play. He simply made the catch on a wild overthrow from Sanders. He did do a good job flipping field position with his return. His next interception was off of 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, whom the Steelers faced a season ago and beat 23-9.

Are you seeing a pattern here, too? Nothing against Bishop, but these plays look nearly identical in terms of how he came away with the ball. Gabriel way overthrew his receiver in front of Bishop, and he showed good hands by making the catch to take the ball away and return it into plus territory for his offense. None of that is a given for a defender, so I am not trying to minimize his performance.

Still, it will be interesting to see if a game like this is enough for the Bears (who are dealing with multiple injuries in their secondary at the moment) to consider keeping him on the roster as he serves his suspension to start the season. If so, he could be in line for slot snaps at some point if that role is still unsettled by the time he returns.

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