Steelers' Teryl Austin Detailed His Belief That Beanie Bishop Will "Bounce Back" Against Raiders

Despite only allowing 20 points, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a very rough game defensively against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. They allowed 445 total yards and 5.9 yards per play. There is blame being tossed around all over the place, but at the end of the day, everyone involved was at fault, as neither the coaches nor the players did their job well. The Steelers have to make a lot of changes if they don't want these mistakes to keep flaring up throughout the entire season. 

During a mid-week interview, Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin was asked about one of his struggling players in particular. He expects his undrafted slot corner Beanie Bishop to bounce back after getting punched in the mouth by Dallas' offense.

"I think what [Beanie Bishop] ran into is what happens to most young guys. There’s going to be a game you’re tested and it doesn't go your way. But I don't think that’s going to be a recurring thing. A lot of that's going to fall on Beanie and how he reacts. He’s a young guy who got tested and I think he’ll bounce back this week."

The Steelers knew the risk they were taking by having an undrafted rookie be their starter on Day 1. They could have gone out and signed a veteran like Patrick Peterson to split snaps with him, but they had faith that Bishop would be able to step up and be that quality starter on the inside. It didn't help that Grayland Arnold, his primary competition, suffered a season-ending injury at the end of training camp. 

Bishop, like the rest of the secondary, had a terrible game overall. Dak Prescott had 352 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns. He did a good job spreading the ball around, as nine different players recorded a reception for the Cowboys. Their primary spot to attack was in the slot. 

Jalen Tolbert led the team in receiving overall, as he had seven catches for 87 yards and the game-winning touchdown. The Steelers had no answers for him throughout the game, and it showed. Even though DeShon Elliott was in coverage on him on the final play, it was mostly Bishop that tried to handle him. He will need to study a lot of film to see what he did wrong and what Dallas was able to do to exploit him. 

Steelers Have Replacement Nickel CB Waiting

For Pittsburgh's sake, they better hope that it was just one bad game. They can't afford to continue getting burnt in the slot while Cameron Sutton waits for his suspension to end. If Bishop can't rebound from that performance like Austin expects him to, he could end up getting cut to make room for Sutton's reinstatement. It's a lot to ask of an undrafted rookie to play great immediately, but Bishop may need to do that. After that last game, he is likely on the chopping block.

The Steelers know all about what Sutton brings to the table. He can play in many defensive back positions, but he has thrived the most as a slot/safety kind of player. He struggled as the top cornerback with the Detroit Lions, but he won't be expected to play that role in 2024. If he can handle the nickel corner spot like he did in 2019 and 2020, then Bishop could end up being an afterthought. He better bounce back before he loses his spot on the roster entirely.

What do you think about Austin having confidence that Bishop just had a rookie moment? Let us know in the comments.

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