Steelers' Beanie Bishop Jr. Loses First-Team Reps After Week 1 Of 2024 Preseason

The Pittsburgh Steelers still have plenty of ongoing position battles to see which players should make it to the team's 53-man roster. After the preseason loss, the organization now has plenty of tape to see who should be moved around the depth chart and who has a good chance of making it. Pittsburgh already made a flurry of moves the day after the game, but there is still a lot that the team needs to know. In fact, one position that was seemingly set in stone, is now up for grabs. 

The Steelers had been very impressed by Beanie Bishop Jr. all throughout the summer minicamps, as well as training camp. The undrafted rookie free agent was expected to take the starting slot corner job and run with it. However, after the opening preseason game, that is no longer the case. 

The Steelers signed Grayland Arnold after rookie minicamp to add some depth to their defensive back core, especially in that slot / safety position. He had previously played with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Houston Texans, but mostly as a special teamer. He did record a career-high in snaps in 2023, however, with 143 defensive snaps. He was on the field defensively 26% of the time while he was healthy. 

After spending nearly all of his time with the second-team defense during his time in Pittsburgh, Arnold will get his shot to prove that he deserves to be a starter in the NFL. Whether the Steelers didn't like Bishop's tape or just wanted to see how Arnold performed with the first team is to be determined. 

Either way, it will be interesting to see how Arnold performs with this opportunity, as well as to how the competition fares between the two. Both were not expected to be competing for a starting spot at this stage.

The Steelers previously released Josiah Scott, who was also in the running for the starting slot corner job. That move seemed to be a vote of confidence in either Bishop, Arnold, or both. DeShon Elliot has also taken some reps there, so it appears to be that the winner of the slot corner job could split time with the veteran safety, depending on the situation. It makes sense, so the more inexperienced slot corners don't have to immediately play every single snap. 

Steelers May Bring Bishop Back Up To First-Team Defense Soon

Bishop has responded to the demotion very well, as he has broken up multiple passes already. He seems to not be discouraged by the move at all, and he is working to get those reps back as soon as possible. It is currently unclear as to how Arnold has done with the top unit, but sometimes, no news can be good news. The slot corner position wasn't expected to have a heated battle, but this could be a great fight that lasts all throughout the preseason. 

The Steelers are still searching for their Mike Hilton replacement, as they have struggled to have any sort of consistency at the slot corner position since he left. There has been a revolving door, with multiple players getting a chance to try and take over the position. None of them have worked out. 

The front office even brought back Cameron Sutton to help out in that role, like he used to when he and Hilton were teammates, but his eight-game suspension will keep him out of the running until he returns, at the very least.

What do you think about Arnold taking first-team reps away from Bishop? Who do you think will end up winning the starting job? Let us know in the comments.

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