A month to the day after the Chicago Bears added cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. to their offseason roster, the former Pittsburgh Steelers undrafted free agent is on the open market again.
According to the NFL transaction wire, the Bears waived Bishop with an injury settlement Wednesday.
Chicago first waived Bishop with an undisclosed injury on August 31. He cleared waivers and returned to the Bears injured reserve list.
With the settlement, the cornerback will become a free agent and available to sign with a new team once healthy.
Bishop started six games for the Steelers during the 2024 season. He appeared in all 17 contests for Pittsburgh that year, posting 45 combined tackles, including two tackles for loss. He also had seven pass defenses and four interceptions.
Ex-Steelers Beanie Bishop Jr. Reaches Injury Settlement With Bears
The Steelers inked Bishop to a deal in undrafted free agency in the spring of 2024. He immediately became a player to watch and fan favorite in part because he played college football at West Virginia.
During his one season with the Mountaineers, Bishop posted 67 combined tackles, including 0.5 for loss. He also had 20 pass defenses and four interceptions.
With the Steelers, he earned a starting role in the slot. To begin the 2024 campaign, Cameron Sutton was serving an 8-game suspension. Bishop didn’t start every game Sutton missed, but he was the team’s primary slot cornerback during the first half of 2024.
When Sutton returned, Bishop continued to occasionally start, but his playing time decreased. Sutton took away snaps from Bishop despite the undrafted free agent playing pretty well.
Then in 2025, the Steelers acquired Jalen Ramsey in a trade from the Miami Dolphins. Pittsburgh cut Bishop after the preseason.
The Steelers brought back Bishop on their practice squad, but they released him last November. The cornerback finished the 2025 campaign with the New Orleans Saints.
His opportunity in Chicago was his first in the NFL since the Saints waived him in late July.
Bishop Still Has to Serve 3-Game Suspension
While Bishop was with the Saints during the spring, the cornerback received a 3-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
“Beanie Bishop, DB, West Virginia, has been suspended by the Commissioner for the first three games of the 2026 season,” the NFL released in a statement. “He is eligible to participate in all preseason activities, including games; his suspension will take effect as of the roster reduction to 53 players.”
It’s difficult for a fringe roster player to catch on with a team while a suspension looms. Throw on an injury too, and then it becomes just about impossible.
The good news for Bishop is his suspension will expire after Week 3 regardless of whether he is on a roster. Perhaps the cornerback will get another opportunity in the league at the end of September or early October.
That is, if he proves to be healthy.
Injuries could always occur, but the Steelers are pretty set at cornerback. The team is poised to open the 2025 campaign with Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., Brandin Echols and Daylen Everette on the active roster.
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