Beware the infatuation with Steelers developmental players
Everybody loves a good underdog story.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are riddled with plenty of them. In fact, it’s finding players both at the very bottom of the draft and among those who didn’t have their names called that can set the franchise up for success. Whether it’s the Hall of Famer from the 70s and 80s in undrafted Donnie Shell, or more recent underdogs coming through such as James Harrison, Brett Keisel, Ramon Foster, and others, being able to fill out a starting lineup with “diamond in the rough“ players can separate a dynasty from mediocrity.
Still, players who come through as late round picks or catch on after going undrafted and have long, successful careers are the exception, and not the rule. Sometimes a team, and even more so their fan base, can be so obsessed with finding that next exception they are willing to accept mediocrity.
Every year, there are a handful of players with the Pittsburgh Steelers who are a long shot to make the team yet the fan base falls in love with them. And it’s not always just the fans. Even the Steelers organization itself can sometimes stick with the potential of a “diamond in the rough” too long when improvements at the position simply need to be made.
As is typically the case, the Steelers are dealing with this situation again with a number of players in 2025. Sometimes it’s a player who’s just trying to get into the NFL for the first time. Other times it’s players who managed to catch on and have hung around for several seasons but still have not completely emerged. The fan base loves them, and the organization sometimes seems to see more in the players than what they are actually producing on the field.
Right now, the Steelers have three players at the cornerback position alone who fit this criteria and are grasping on to the bottom of the depth chart where there is not enough space for all of them. James Pierre was a huge darling when he joined the Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2020 and managed to make the 53-man roster despite having no preseason games. Cory Trice is a seventh-round draft pick going into his third season who has been so injured he’s only appeared in six games in his career. Beanie Bishop was a 2024 undrafted rookie free agent who made the team as a slot cornerback and was their primary player at the position for the first half of the season before the Steelers decided Cam Sutton, who was a huge liability himself, would get more snaps. That’s not even counting 2025 seventh-round pick Donte Kent who has been injured and has become an afterthought.
If looking at these players just from a talent and availability standpoint, none of them should be good enough to make the roster. If it wasn’t for their “development“ with the team, both the fans and the front office should be taking more of the mindset of scouring the waiver wire than keeping any of them. They simply aren’t good enough for the Steelers to be a contender if they’re on the field.
When it comes to James Pierre, he has been a key special teams contributor and has used that route to continue to keep a spot on the roster. If he is the guy who is only on the field on defense in case of emergency but is getting a lot of special teams snaps, he likely has a spot on this roster. Cory Trice is a better option at cornerback, but his constant injuries have kept him from even showing that he can play special teams in the NFL. When it comes to Beanie Bishop, he’s likely their third option in the slot behind Jalen Ramsey and Brandin Echols. This is where he should be because he’s nowhere close to as good as those guys right now. Is he really worth a roster spot for a third string nickel corner?
Because it’s been so long, most Steelers fans have no problem moving on from James Pierre. I find it interesting that he’s the most likely to make the roster. I know many Steelers fans hope that Trice and Bishop can develop into something special. But is “hoping they develop“ something that’s going to help the Steelers win a playoff game in 2025?
Much to the dismay of one of our loyal comments here at SCN, if the Steelers secondary is lining up during a significant part of the game with Cory Trice and Beanie Bishop on the field, things have gone terribly wrong. I’m not saying that the Steelers should completely write these players off if they have room to keep them on the roster or even on the practice squad, but it should not be anywhere close to a priority as they are a huge drop off from the Steelers top three, or even four, options.
This is not the only position where this occurs, and sometimes it’s the Steelers that hold on too long after the fan base has soured. A “recent history“ example would be Daniel McCullers. For me, Isaiahh Loudermilk has morphed into McCullers 2.0 as the Steelers continue to find a reason to keep him around despite him not being good enough. Maybe this is the season where he doesn’t make the 53, but I’m not holding my breath.
There are plenty of other examples of where Steelers fans have become enamored with a very late draft pick or undrafted rookie. Yes, it’s a great story when they can experience their dream of making it to the NFL. But holding onto these players, whether on the roster or in fans hearts, can actually stunt the growth of the team towards the ultimate goal of winning a championship. In essence, every player on the roster is upgradable if an upgrade is available, or even possible. The only way to truly be safe is to be the best at what you do.
Steelers fans typically don’t settle for anything less than the best when it comes to wins and losses, especially in the postseason. Settling for less on the roster just because a player is intriguing is not going to help.
Reminds me of the meme with Peter Griffin and the mystery box from Fanily Guy…
“Jalen Ramsey is Jalen Ramsey…but Beanie Bishop could be anything, even Jalen Ramsey!!” 😉
Everyone wants a deal. We want these diamonds in the rough to be actual diamonds. Most times they are cut glass, and not even Cubic Zirconia. There are reasons guys go on day 3: character issues; physical talent; inexperience; mental game, etc. For every AB or TB12 you have hundreds of players that just don’t make it.
I hope Ed it going to be OK when Beanie and Cory are both gone or on the Practice Squad. He’s been a true fan since the 70’s; he should understand better 😀
If Trice makes the 53, I do believe this will be his make or break year. He’s got to prove he can stay on the field for the majority of games, or he won’t be back next year.
These 3 young men are fringe level NFL players, but for varying reasons.
James Pierre has overcome serious deficiencies to carve out an impressive career at the highest level. Not exceptional by any metric, and without the necessary speed requirements. His toughness, tenacity, and healthy tendencies have allowed him to hang on to a roster spot. Mainly for special teams. He should be applauded, but he seldom is.
Cory Trice possesses NFL level capabilities in every aspect, but one of the most important abilities eludes him: availability. It really is a shame. Bad luck seems to be the only luck he knows.
Beanie Bishop is a faster version of Mike Hilton. I still believe he is being overlooked and underappreciated. He will shock many fans when he exceeds most expectations in the near future. Again, similar to Mike Hilton. However, I only hope he blossoms in Pittsburgh.
Thanks Shannon.
I tend to agree on Beannie Bishop.
I’ve posted comparison stats between him and Ramsey and Echols. From a stat line he compares very favorably to them. For example completion percentage against him last year was 57%, for Ramsey it was 62% and for Echols it was 60%.
Likewise, rating against when targeted has Bishop at 59.5, Ramsey at 83.2 and Echols at 90 last year and career at 84.8.
I get that he’s no Ramsey and Ramsey was guarding more difficult receivers, but I don’t understand where, in a single preseason, a long time journeyman like Echols has distinguished himself as out and out a better option.
I saw someone decrying Bishop’s four interceptions a just luck, but Ramsey’s two INTs last year were mostly luck as well. One came on an overthrow, one came when the ball bounced off the receivers hands.
I see Bishop as a very viable nickel or dime defender and good insurance if any of the top DBs go down and force shuffling in the ranks. I thought he played pretty well in the preseason games I watched.
I just don’t get the negatives on him other then a recent comment made by one of the coaches.
Interesting list. I do think they are different. I think that the Steelers like Loudermilk. He was a 22% snap count on defense in 2024. Does that mean he is a starter, of course not.
The CBs are a different story. I think they want to keep them all but… Tough to keep Bishop when he is slot only and at best third on that list. Tough to keep Trice due to injury. Tough to keep Pierre because he is teams only. Of the three the only one likely to get a helmet on game day is Pierre. If you release Pierre and Trice can’t show he is the second gunner on teams to go with Skowronek then he likely can’t dress. His value is when you know that Slay, Ramsay or Porter are out you dress Trice. Not sure how Bishop gets a helmet unless both Ramsay and Echols are out.
I hate keeping a teams only guy over a player that you think could be a CB2 in the league but you have to see that he can stay healthy which no one has seen.
Nice to try to get your late pick / no pick starter but it doesn’t always work out.
If either outside corner is out, Ramsey is likely going to move there unless Trice were the better corner option. He could also be filling in at safety were one to go down. Echols, as far as I can tell, is not really a slot corner, he’d be playing there this year for the first time. I’m basing that on his depth of target which was a whopping 14.5 yards last year and, in his career is about 11.4. Last year Ramsey’s was 7.7 and Bishops was 6.9.
I’m not sure Echols can hold off Beannie from the slot corner position if Ramsey is moved outside. Even then, I expect Bishop might be a better option in dime packages.
The only player really worth making the roster is Beenie and possibly Laudermilk, but Laudermilk would really just be for depth. I think Beenie is a great player that can play now and he already had several great moments last year. Slot corner is basically a starting position and I think Beenie would be the #2 slot corner with Ramsey being more of a safety/corner. I would much rather have Beenie at slot & Ramsey at safety as opposed to Ramsey at slot and Juan Thornill/Miles Killebrew/Chuck Clark at safety.
James Pierre is kinda fine/meh and I feel he doesn’t have enough impact on the team one way or another. Trice is always hurt and he doesn’t look that impressive when he’s healthy – I think he’s perfect for the p-squad. Laudermilk is already behind Yahya in my mind, but he could be a depth guy and someone who already knows the defense as a veteran backup, but I think he has reached his ceiling.