Rookie Beanie Bishop regains 1st-team status at nickel DB

After a two-week reprieve related to an undisclosed injury, Beanie Bishop was back with the first-team defense as the nickel back Monday.

“It’s always great to be able to get those first-team reps,” Bishop said after practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “Obviously, missing as many practices as I missed — as a competitor, it’s horrible.

“There’s the difference between getting mental reps and actually being out there and seeing things with your own eyes and being able to feel route concepts and different things, and being able to actually hear the quarterback’s cadence to work on blitz timing and things like that — which is something that I have to work on; obviously the game Saturday I was early a couple times — so just being able to get the blitz timing and things like that down is crucial.”

Thomas Graham Jr. started the past two preseason games at nickel. Bishop played in the preseason finale this past Saturday at Detroit but not until the second half. An undrafted rookie from West Virginia, Bishop had spent the entirety of summer organized team activities and minicamp, in addition to the three weeks of camp at Saint Vincent, as the first-team nickel.

Veteran Cameron Sutton is thought to be the Steelers’ best option but will miss the regular season’s first eight games because of suspension. Bishop is undersized (5-9, 182) but was an all-American outside cornerback at WVU last season and is a willing and physical tackler.

He suffered his injury during the joint practice with the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 15.

“I was trying to get back as quick as I could,” Bishop said. “Obviously (if) you get hurt, they are just gonna bring another guy in. Obviously I am in good situation that I got back fast. … So I was grateful for that to be able to get a chance to get (game) tape out and make plays Saturday.”