It's been years since the Pittsburgh Steelers had a deep cornerback room, but a flood of talent during the 2025 offseason made this the position battle to watch during the preseason. With veterans Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Brandin Echols added to the mix, we knew that a young, promising player could be the odd man out... and it's looking like it will be Beanie Bishop Jr.
Bishop had an up-and-down rookie season in 2024 (which is to be expected from an undrafted free agent). However, the nickel cornerback seemed to show up big when it mattered most, as he recorded four interceptions during his first season.
With a year of NFL slot cornerback experience under his belt, most fans thought Bishop was going to be part of the defense's future. But that might not be the case.
The Steelers just wrapped up their preseason against the Carolina Panthers, where dozens of players were scratching and clawing to make a play on every opportunity they got—not knowing which one could be their last. Bishop was not one of them.
This was entirely bizarre. Earlier in the week, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin made it sound like Bishop would need a strong performance in the finale. Instead, the second-year cornerback didn't earn a single snap on defense.
The decision to sit Bishop in the preseason finale speaks volumes about his future with the team.
Beanie Bishop Jr. feels like the odd man out in the Pittsburgh Steelers' cornerback room
In my early preseason 53-man roster prediction, I had Beanie Bishop Jr. making the Steelers' roster as a backup nickel cornerback. Bishop has the year of experience under his belt, and entering just his second season, it stood to reason that he would only get better.
But after seeing Bishop get snubbed of playing time in the final preseason game, this looks like a terrible sign for his future with the team.
We don't know what happened here, and we need to be careful not to speculate. It's possible Bishop found himself in the doghouse with Mike Tomlin or Teryl Austin leading up to the game, or maybe he sustained a pre-game injury that Tomlin failed to address in his post-game presser. Whatever the case, absence from the preseason finale could spell doom for his chances of making the roster.
Even if Bishop had played and performed well, his roster spot would not have been guaranteed. The Steelers are expected to keep a standard six cornerbacks this year—four of whom we can pencil in as roster locks: Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr., Darius Slay, and Brandin Echols.
This leaves just two CB spots up for grabs. Based on his health and summer performance, we have to believe that James Pierre will earn a spot on the final roster. Pierre has game experience and has proven himself over the years as a quality special teams gunner and jammer.
If this is the case, the last spot would come down to either Beanie Bishop Jr., Cory Trice Jr., or rookie draft pick Donte Kent. (There are other cornerbacks not mentioned on the 90-man roster, but none who proved worthy of a 53-man roster spot.)
In my final Steelers 53-man roster prediction, I have the team choosing Trice in a last-minute decision over Bishop. Trice suffered a hamstring injury during Pittsburgh's Friday Night Lights practice at Steelers training camp, but he may be ready to return soon.
When healthy and on the field, Trice has made a significant impact in 2024. The 6'3'', 206-pound cornerback has the flexibility to line up as a boundary cornerback, a slot cornerback, or even a safety. The position flexibility and talent gap between Bishop could help him land on the final roster—injuries and all.
Bishop, meanwhile, is a niche role CB. He can only cover the slot in nickel and dime. While there's value to this assignment, the Steelers have players like Ramsey, Echols, and Trice who can play inside and outside cornerback.
We can't say with certainty that Beanie Bishop will lose his roster spot and Cory Trice will make the final squad, but all signs seem to be pointing in this direction.