Steelers Bring Back Fan Favorite CB

Bishop had the inside track for the slot corner job towards the beginning of the offseason, but Pittsburgh's sweeping additions at the position evidently complicated his path towards securing that role.

The first sign that the Steelers weren't content with simply penciling Bishop in as a starter this season came when they signed former New York Jet Brandin Echols, who can play either on the boundary or from the slot, to a two-year deal in free agency.

Pittsburgh ramped up the competition by selecting Donte Kent in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and made a huge splash by acquiring seven-time Pro Bowler Jalen Ramsey from the Miami Dolphins in late June.

With a sudden influx of players who could fill in at nickelback for the team, Bishop's stock took a significant hit. The 25-year-old logged a combined 54 snaps across the team's first two preseason games, but with one last chance to prove himself against the Carolina Panthers last Thursday night, the Steelers held him out of action despite defensive coordinator Teryl Austin previously declaring that he had a golden opportunity of him in that game.

The writing was on the wall from that point forward, and Bishop was let go during final roster cuts on Tuesday.

Bishop beat the odds as an undrafted rookie in 2024 by beating out Thomas Graham Jr. for the Steelers' starting job in the slot while Cam Sutton served an eight-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

He came up big on a number of occasions, including picking off Aaron Rodgers twice while he was with the New York Jets in a Week 7 Sunday Night Football bout, and earned Defensive Rookie of the Month honors for October while closing out the year with four interceptions.

Pittsburgh should be happy to have him back, as he's familiar with the system and proved that he can play at a high level in spurts, and it wouldn't come as a surprise if he were to be elevated from the practice squad early in the season.