Replacing Steelers slot cornerback looks easy after Day 1 of training camp

The Steelers opened training camp with the usual fanfare. After such a long hiatus from football, fans are celebrating the return of their favorite team. Pittsburgh got right to work, opening practice and beginning to work through their rotations.

While overreactions will come hot and heavy right now, one major alarm that should be going off is how the Steelers are using Beanie Bishop. Reports surfaced early from Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live that Bishop, an undrafted rookie from this draft class, was running as the first-team slot cornerback.

Considering how the team usually treats rookies, having him run with the first team this early is quite a shock.

The Steelers rarely have rookies run first-team

It is common knowledge that the Steelers take their time with rookies in training camp. Even their top picks tend to work with the second team initially. Just take Zach Frazier and Troy Fautanu, who are both working second team. While they will more than likely earn a starting job at some point, they won’t just be given that role.

To see Bishop running with the first team right out of the gate is telling. While it is too early for initial depth charts (that won’t be released until before the first preseason game), we saw Chandon Sullivan listed as the starter after taking the majority of first-team reps there in camp.

Raising the bar at slot cornerback from what we witnessed in 2023 seems like an easy task. Both Chandon Sullivan and Patrick Peterson were underwhelming in this pivotal defensive role. However, if Bishop does become the player who's called upon, we can expect him to go through some growing pains.

In a normal world, it seems like Cameron Sutton would be the logical name to take first-team snaps. If the Steelers wanted to see what their non-suspended options looked like, Grayland Arnold and Josiah Scott are veteran options. Seeing the undrafted rookie get looks there this early is telling.

While there is still a long way to go before the final roster is set, Bishop getting looks as the starting slot cornerback is something to note. The other rookies from the class are still working their way up the depth chart while Bishop isn’t. The job could be his for the taking at this point if he continues to play well.