As slot corner position remains in limbo, Beanie Bishop vows to return for Steelers' preseason finale

Beanie Bishop’s chance of earning the starting slot cornerback job with the Pittsburgh Steelers was stalled when he missed the preseason game Saturday against Buffalo with an undisclosed injury.

The undrafted free agent from West Virginia will have one more chance to impress the coaching staff this weekend when the Steelers play at Detroit in the preseason finale.

Bishop doesn’t plan to be a bystander for the second week in a row.

“For sure,” he said Thursday when asked if he will suit up against the Lions. “As the ultimate competitor, you go out there and practice, but you don’t just practice to practice. You practice to play in the game and win.”

Bishop took part in the joint practice the Steelers held with Buffalo a week ago, but he was a bystander when the teams met in their preseason game two days later.

Asked to describe his level of participation in practice this week, Bishop said, “I’m working my way back in, taking it day by day. I’m trying not to aggravate what is going on.”

On Tuesday, coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged that the final days of the preseason represent “a big week” for Bishop.

Bishop knows it, too. The longer he remains on the sidelines, the greater the chance he won’t be the starter in the regular season. It also could jeopardize Bishop’s spot on the 53-man roster.

“Every day is a missed opportunity to get better,” he said. “First and foremost. If you’re not out there, how can you get better? Not being out there physically, but mentally being there, I’m able to watch practice and learn from mistakes other guys make.”

The Steelers are looking for somebody to hold down the slot cornerback spot until Cameron Sutton returns at midseason from his eight-game suspension. Bishop opened training camp getting most of the first-team reps in the slot, and he started the preseason opener against Houston.

Grayland Arnold was a candidate for the job until he was waived last week with an injury designation. Thomas Graham, a former sixth-round pick with 11 games of NFL experience, played with the first team against Buffalo and continues to take snaps with the starters.

Strong safety DeShon Elliott has played in the slot when the Steelers go to a three-safety package.

“Whoever shows up gets it,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin deadpanned. “That’s about where we are right now. T.G., knock on wood, has been able to stay up and stay healthy, and everybody else has been in and out because of injury. We’ll see how that shakes out.”