Player: CB Beanie Bishop Jr.
Stock prices: Up
reason: Beanie Bishop Jr. became the first undrafted rookie to start for the Steelers in some time. Though he wasn’t officially a starter, he played 59 percent of the minutes as a starter, and overall he played pretty well, showing he can tackle, especially at his size.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin left the door open for someone else to take over Beanie Bishop Jr.’s position, but by the time they were ready to get the ball rolling, they already knew who would be there: The rookie college free agent served as their primary slot defender in Week 1, a remarkable feat in and of itself.
Bishop, an undrafted West Virginia University product, surprised himself by running with the starting lineup for much of training camp. Along the way, he didn’t do anything to cost him his job, even as Tomlin explored other options. The only thing that got in his way was injuries, which impacted his availability for much of the preseason.
Despite the obstacles, Bishop won. His biggest rival isn’t even on the 53-man roster now. And Bishop has played 33 defensive snaps, a nearly 60 percent share.
Bishop recorded four tackles in the game, some of which were particularly impressive. If you want to stay on the field as a slot defender, make tackles along the sideline. He’s still in the process of playing professional football, but it will take time.
What Bishop proved in Week 1 was that he has the skill and poise necessary to do the job at a high enough level. The rest will come with time, and as of now, he doesn’t have any obvious challengers.
As I see it, Bishop has a clear path to start the first eight games. After that, things will get interesting with Cameron Sutton due to return from suspension. Will Bishop be able to prove he deserves to be on the field instead of Sutton by then? The Steelers may use a veteran for certain assignments, but a rookie may retain the primary position.
As the season progresses Steelers players’ stocks go up and downThe nature of the evaluations varies by time of year, with in-season considerations often being short-term in nature. Off-season considerations often have broader ramifications, especially when players lose their jobs or teams sign players. Lots of dealsIt doesn’t matter if it’s minor or major.
A number of things affect a player’s value – a bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion – so many different things. Think of it as a stock in a market based on speculation. After a good game, players are valued higher, after a bad game, players are valued lower. Some stock price fluctuations are minor, while others can be quite dramatic, so keep the magnitude in mind. In the reasons section of each column, we will explain the nature of it in as much detail as possible.
