The Steelers defense was dealt a blow when the league leveled an eight-game suspension on presumed starting nickelback Cameron Sutton. With Sutton out for just under half of the season, finding someone else to step in becomes crucial to the secondary. During a deep dive into the defense, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly looked into some likely options to start the season as the team’s top slot cornerback. 
After six years in Pittsburgh, Sutton was not a part of the team’s defense in 2023 after signing a three-year deal to head to Detroit. Shortly after his first season with the Lions, though, an arrest warrant was issued for Sutton as he faced a charge of domestic battery by strangulation. The next day, the Lions cut ties with Sutton. Sutton met with his former team a little over a month later, eventually signing with the Steelers back in June on a one-year deal for the veteran minimum.
The Steelers likely took Sutton on knowing that he’d be suspended by the league for some period of time. Until he can make his reappearance for Pittsburgh in Week 10, though, the Steelers will need to fill his role.
To that purpose, the team is looking mainly in two directions. One option is veteran cornerback Josiah Scott, who has spent the last three years with the Eagles after getting traded by the Jaguars following his rookie season. Scott isn’t unfamiliar with Pittsburgh, spending two weeks on the practice squad last year before returning to Philadelphia. In the two seasons before bouncing around last year, Scott started four of 29 game appearances for the Eagles. Kaboly notes that Scott was running as the first-team nickelback early in the spring before the team added Sutton.
Another player has appeared as an under the radar option to take over the starting job, though. Undrafted rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop has emerged as a new favorite for the job, according to Kaboly. Starting his collegiate career at Western Kentucky, Bishop didn’t start a game for the Hilltoppers until getting a single start in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.
He became a full-time starter as a fourth-year redshirt sophomore, leading the team with three interceptions. Bishop transferred to Minnesota the following year, playing in every game for the Golden Gophers. He transferred one more time for his final season of eligibility in order to be a full-time starter at West Virginia. With the Mountaineers, Bishop led the nation with an incredible 20 pass breakups and led his team with four interceptions, earning both first- and second-team All-American honors and first-team All-Big 12 honors.
Bishop’s success has continued so far in his NFL career. Signing with the Steelers after surprisingly going undrafted, Bishop has made an impact early on in the offseason. He seemed to be a candidate to earn a roster spot as an undrafted rookie with lots of playing time early into organized team activities, but Kaboly notes that Bishop even nabbed the starting role as the team concluded mandatory minicamp.
With Sutton out for the first half of the season, things are shaping up to give Bishop an opportunity to make a big impact as an undrafted rookie in 2024. He’s looking likely to have a guaranteed roster spot right now, but a good training camp could book a starting job for Bishop to start the year.
