Steelers' Beanie Bishop Jr. Ready To Step Up In Year 2 And Solve The Defense's Biggest Problem

The Pittsburgh Steelers might've had the most expensive defense in the NFL in 2024, but that didn't mean they played flawlessly during the season. The defense was a significant part of the team's early success, helping them start the season out 10-3. However, the entire team seemed to collapse as the season went along, losing their final five games. The losses, of course, came with the requisite finger-pointing and blame. 

While the offense had its share of issues, fans have come to expect more from this defense. They looked exhausted and defeated in the Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens. They struggled to stop teams from running, allowing Derrick Henry to pick up 162 yards in their Week 16 meeting and 186 in their postseason game. They weren't much better with the pass rush. When asked why the unit struggled so much at the end of the season, many players indicated it was partially due to a communication breakdown.  

Now, second-year cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. says he will be shouldering some of the work of improving the defense's communication. He spoke with his teammate, long snapper Christian Kuntz, on his show The Christian Kuntz Podcast about what he is focused on heading into Organized Team Activities and training camp for the 2025 season. 

"I would say just trying to get my communication together," said Bishop about his goal for the 2025 offseason. "Because I understand; just talking to the coaches, they explained your year two is going to be taking over the full-time role of nickel. That communication is going to go through me. You don't need the corners trying to have a whole lot of communication. The communication line is obviously the linebackers, the safeties, the nickel, being able to explain the motion rules and all those adjustments."

Bishop said this will allow him to better support his teammate and fellow cornerback, Joey Porter Jr. He noted, for example, if the offense gets in a stacked formation, he knows Porter is a press guy. Bishop added that it allows him to play off-man coverage, which is his preference. 

This makes sense since Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick told the media during the end-of-season losing streak that he felt their opponents were "scheming" them. Fitzpatrick added that they were having issues with motions, stacks, and bunches. Their opponents were able to pick up how to stop them from simple film study. Fitzpatrick said one team could clearly see what had worked for the last team and they replicated it. 

However, they do need to get everyone on the same page. Multiple players, including Fitzpatrick and Patrick Queen, spoke about how they seemed out of sync. While no one would directly point a finger, there were many who felt like Fitzpatrick's game was suffering because he had to pick up the slack from Cam Sutton, who started the season off with a multi-game suspension.

Steelers' Beanie Bishop's Midseason Surge

Bishop quickly became a fan favorite in 2024. An undrafted rookie free agent, his meteoric rise to success, hard work, and positive attitude won fans over. 

Thanks to multiple injuries, Bishop became the de facto starter in training camp. He had the expected ups and downs when he played early on, but performed well for a rookie who typically would have struggled. He had a breakout game against the New York Jets, intercepting future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers twice. He even finished the season second in interceptions for the entire team.

When Sutton's suspension ended, Bishop's snap count drastically reduced. Fans questioned this decision, given that it seemed obvious Sutton was a significant part of the communication issues. However, Sutton is unlikely to return to the Black and Gold in 2025, allowing Bishop and his hard work to step up and contribute more consistently.