LATROBE, Pa. — In 2022, Beanie Bishop was fighting just to get on the field at the University of Minnesota. In 2023, he transferred to WVU and blossomed into a consensus All-American. Now in 2024, Bishop is fighting for a starring role with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent.
“He’s a guy that’s always overachieved and that underdog mentality, he loves that,” WVU secondary coach ShaDon Brown said on Monday. “He doesn’t want to be on top, he always wants to be fighting from the bottom.”
Bishop, who led the nation with 24 passes defended last season, has already made a splash with his new team as the Steelers enter week two of training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.
During practice on Saturday, Bishop intercepted a screen pass from quarterback Justin Fields and returned it for a touchdown during an 11-on-11 team period.
“He was looking at me, and I was looking at him,” Bishop told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette afterward. “I tried to match hands. I got a hand on the ball and held it in.”
Bishop developed those ball skills during his time as a Mountaineer. They’re what helped him become an All-American and are what is helping him stand out now in an NFL camp. He certainly didn’t show up in Morgantown with them, however.
“Beanie couldn’t play the ball in the air to save his life when he first got here,” Brown joked. “He had 10 pass breakups in four years and then he had 21 in one season (with WVU).”
Brown said West Virginia has a special way of coaching defensive backs how to defend the ball when it’s in the air. While he’s not ready to reveal the team’s secret sauce, Brown did explain just how Bishop improved so much in just one season.
“He was a guy that always wanted to go back to the ball and show (his shoulders) to the ball where he saw everything from the front,” Brown detailed. “You’ve got to be able to play the ball up over the top and not always having your shoulders back to the ball.”
It’s not just Bishop’s on-the-field work that is turning heads either.
“Honestly, it’s more off-the-field stuff than on-the-field stuff,” all-pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick told the Post-Gazette. “He’s a guy who is eager to learn. He’s not a guy you have to chase down to get his work in or get his film work in. He’s trying to learn and get better any way he can. When you see a guy like that, that’s the type of guy I like to play with.”
That also comes as no surprise to anyone who knew Bishop at WVU.
“He’s a hard worker, he’s a Steeler, he fits that blue-collar mentality and he fits (head coach) Mike Tomlin,” Brown said. “He’s a worker, he’s going to always be doing more than what’s required.”
Although Bishop has been taking first-team reps during the Steelers’ training camp, nothing is assured for him as an undrafted signee.
“I’m trying to take advantage of all the reps that I get,” Bishop told SteelersNow during the first week of camp. “Every day, I’m trying to compete for a spot, just like everyone else. I just want to be able to take the most advantage of it.”
The way Brown sees it, however, Bishop not only has a roster spot locked up, but he sees a contract in the not-too-far future as well.
“He’ll make their 53 (man roster) and he’ll make plays for them,” Brown said. “It’s a shame they didn’t draft him but that’s okay, they’ll have to pay him at some point.”
