Former Steelers CB Offers One Key Piece of Advice To Rookie Beanie Bishop To Secure The Slot Corner Job

The Pittsburgh Steelers have an opening at slot corner, and undrafted cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. was told he will get a crack at winning that job. Bishop was an outside corner for the West Virginia Mountaineers in his final collegiate season, but it looks like he'll have to adjust to playing slot corner, at least to start in the NFL. Former Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden knows a thing or two about playing cornerback and offered his advice to the youngster about what it will take to win the job. 

McFadden recently joined Mike J. Asti on Mike Drop to discuss the Steelers' offseason. While breaking down the team's opening at cornerback, Asti asked McFadden what it would take for Bishop to win the job. The two-time Super Bowl winner said there's one key for Bishop to demonstrate to the coaching staff that he's up to the task. 

"You have to provide an element of trust as a young guy," he said. "If they don't trust that you know what you're supposed to do, you're not going to be out there to try to do it.  With that being said, he has to learn the playbook."

McFadden said at his first rookie camp and OTAs, the team wanted to figure out if he knew what to do. He added that a guy could be the most athletically gifted player in the world, but if a coach finds out in spring ball that they don't know where to be, he won't trust them enough to put them on the field. 

He said that once a player has a full grasp of the playbook and an understanding of their assignments, they can start to show the coaching staff what they can do as a football player. Once they've proved that they can master the basics, a coach will begin to test them even more to find out if they can handle it. 

Bishop was recruited by only three Division I schools after high school. The only FBS program that recruited him was Western Kentucky. He spent four seasons with the school before moving to Minnesota for a year. He transferred to West Virginia for his final college season and led the country in passes defended.

McFadden is a fan of how Bishop has improved with each stop. Asti covered Bishop during his time with the Mountaineers and said that Mike Tomlin would likely fall in love with how hungry Bishop is. He said that Bishop always seems to have a chip on his shoulder. 

Steelers' McFadden Lays Out The Challenges Of Playing Slot Corner

Playing outside cornerback has its challenges, but McFadden said there's a whole other level to playing the slot. While outside cornerbacks are often tasked with defending an opposing team's top wide receivers, they have the benefit of using the sideline as a part of their tactics. That's one of the major differences between the two parts of the cornerback position. 

McFadden elaborated that a slot cornerback has to be able to make decisions quickly and decisively to be in the right position. Knowing the playbook gives the player that knowledge of where to be. 

"If you know what to do, you feel more comfortable. You're not second-guessing yourself."  

He said knowing your assignments is key and not hesitating to get to them. The other element that a slot corner must think about is what their job is in running game support. The final aspect that McFadden touched on as an important part of playing slot corner is the willingness to be physical. Bishop has that box checked. 

It is an uphill climb for any undrafted player to make an NFL roster. Bishop is not only trying to make the roster, he'll be competing to try and get a starting job. 

Do you think Bishop could be the team's starting slot cornerback in 2024? Comment below!    

#SteelerNation