Rookie Beanie Bishop beat the odds this year, not just making the Steelers 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie free agent but also having a big impact on the defense.
Bishop was signed out of West Virginia following the 2024 NFL Draft. He came in with a chip on his shoulder after not being drafted and let that work in his favor.
"That chip will never leave," said Bishop. "Honestly, even when I'm done playing football, I will always feel that I have something to prove because somewhere out there is always somebody that still doesn't believe in me.
"They probably think he just got lucky or something like that. I know the amount of work that I put in, the time spent to be able to get those results."
And those results were impressive in 2024. He played in all 17 regular season games, starting six of them, as well as playing in the Steelers Wild Card game.
Bishop finished the season second on the team with four interceptions, while adding 39 tackles, 25 of them solo stops, seven passes defensed, two tackles for a loss and one fumble recovery.
"It's one of the things that I transferred from my college career," said Bishop. "Being able to get the ball back to the offense and give them great field position."
It's all part of the Steelers takeaway culture that Bishop immersed himself in, earning some gear along the way. With each interception, he earned a 'Culture' t-shirt, with the color changing as the interceptions increased.
"When I get interceptions, I like to make the most of my opportunity," said Bishop. "I was a kick returner and punt returner in college. And I don't know if I'll be able to get that chance again in the NFL. So, whenever I get the ball, I like to do what I can because you don't get too many opportunities to have the ball in your hand as a defender.
"Just the way we work the takeaway circuit every practice, that shows it's something important to us being able to get takeaways and make sure the turnover battle is in a plus margin."
With his four interceptions, Bishop earned 'black belt' status in takeaway game.
"Being able to get those takeaways, the shirts are an extra incentive for us guys, and being able to get a black belt. I've got a black belt at home now," said Bishop. "I've got a lot of shirts at home, and a sweatshirt. You've got to have three or more takeaways to earn the black belt, and I think I am second degree.
"Just being able to separate yourself from a lot of guys in the league getting takeaways. There's a lot of guys that have been in the league longer than I have and they have less takeaways than I do, so I'm not taking any of those for granted."
Three of those four interceptions Bishop had on the season came in October, when he was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month with three interceptions in two games.
Bishop didn't just have his first career interception, but had two interceptions against New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a future Hall of Famer, in a Week 7 win at Acrisure Stadium.
"Can't say enough about young Beanie Bishop," said Coach Mike Tomlin after the game. "That's an awesome evening for him to get his first two interceptions versus a Gold Jacket guy like Aaron Rodgers.
"He's grown in all areas, there's a lot to cover when you're a rookie, but the one thing I'll say about him is he never shrinks. The situations aren't too big for him, and he's learned and he's open to learning. He has good questions. I meet with him every Friday morning as we lean in on situational ball. He's doing a lot of the little things well. He's on a good trajectory."
Bishop's first interception came in the second quarter, when he picked off Rodgers at the Steelers 46-yard line, down 15-6. The offense was able to capitalize, with Russell Wilson engineering a four-play, 54-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens, sending the Steelers into the half down just 15-13.
After the Steelers took a 16-15 lead early in the third quarter, Bishop came through again. He intercepted Rodgers at the Jets 42-yard line, returning it 41 yards before getting caught at the one-yard line. Wilson took it in from the one on a quarterback sneak to extend the lead to 23-15.
"He's one of the Hall of Fame quarterbacks," said Bishop. "Got a lot of respect for that guy and just to be able to get not one but two of them off of him is crazy."
In the Steelers Week 8 win over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, it was Bishop who would come through at the end, intercepting Daniel Jones at the Steelers 29-yard line, sealing the win with just 34 seconds left to play and the Steelers holding on to a 26-18 win. Bishop finished the game with five tackles, including three solo stops, and the interception.
Bishop said it was in the weeks leading up to the Jets and Giants games that he started to settle into his role, and it obviously showed.
"Once the games got going, I didn't really have nerves because at the end of the day, it's football. I've been playing football since I was four, it was just now it was at a very high level," said Bishop. "But I would probably say after the Colts game, heading into the Cowboys game, I started to settle in. I knew I had a job to do and that's to win."
