Steelers' Mike Tomlin Makes Suspicious Comment Regarding Injured Fan-Favorite Defender

The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to have a knack for finding hidden gems when the NFL Draft wraps up and organizations start to sift through the heap of undrafted free agents. This is where they have found players like Jaylen Warren, and excitement has been ramping up around rookie Beanie Bishop Jr. Pittsburgh signed Bishop as an undrafted free agent out of West Virginia where he was an All-American, and throughout training camp, it has seemed that he has a serious chance to crack the starting lineup.

Bishop has been a fan favorite ever since the Steelers picked him up. He has performed well throughout training camp, even while taking on top-end talent like George Pickens. Bishop has been on track to be a serious contributor for the Steelers' defense, but he had a slight step back after getting a little banged up during a joint practice with the Buffalo Bills, which caused him to miss Pittsburgh's second preseason game. Head Coach Mike Tomlin gave an update on Bishop during his postgame press conference.

"Beanie was a little bit limited on our last work day here on Thursday against Buffalo. We didn't want a small problem to become a big problem. Obviously the sand is going through the hour glass, and he's got a big week ahead of him. But we didn't want to jeopardize or compromise that, so we did what we thought was prudent tonight and didn't allow him to participate."

Tomlin said the sand is going through the hour glass for Bishop, which may be insinuating that he is running out of time to make an impression. That could either mean to crack the starting lineup, or earn a roster spot. Undrafted free agents usually struggle to make a final roster on their first go around, but it has seemed that Bishop's spot on the final roster was solidified. He has still been competing with other candidates for the starting job, but he has seemed to be the front-runner.

At the start of training camp, Bishop was splitting reps at slot corner with safety DeShon Elliott. That only lasted about a day, as Bishop began running with the starters fairly consistently. Grayland Arnold then burst on the seen and started splitting reps with Bishop at the end of training camp after Bishop was already listed as the starter on the depth chart. Arnold got hurt, which seemed to clear the lane for Bishop to start in Week 1. 

Tomlin clearly wants to emphasize that Bishop has not earned the starting spot yet, and he will need to see him improve throughout the last week of the preseason. Pittsburgh has their last game of the preseason against the Detroit Lions on August 24th, which will be a big matchup for the undrafted rookie. 

Bishop's roster spot shouldn't be in danger. He has proved he can contribute, and he has improved mightily throughout training camp. Tomlin is likely just motivating the rookie to try and get the best out of him.

Steelers' Beanie Bishop Gave An Update On His Health

It wasn't known that Bishop had something nagging him during practice on Thursday which caused him to be limited. Most fans were surprised when Bishop wasn't playing with the starting unit on Saturday night, and even more surprised to see him on the sideline not in uniform. He spoke with the media after the game, and gave an optimistic update on his health.

There isn't much clarity on exactly what has been bothering Bishop, but it seems as though he will be ready to get back to practice during the week while the team prepares for the Lions. It should be fully expected that he cracks the starting lineup for Pittsburgh's Week 1 matchup.

What did you think of Tomlin's comments? Let us know in the comments below!

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