As the NFL's 53-man roster deadline arrived on Tuesday, the Green Bay Packers cut cornerback Corey Ballentine, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky. Though Ballentine was just re-signed this offseason, he was the oldest tenured cornerback in the Packers' CB room.
The move away from the 29-year-old signals that Green Bay feels comfortable with its young CB room.
That said, the Packers just got gifted a perfect opportunity to add another talented young cornerback. According to Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports, the Pittsburgh Steelers have released cornerback Beanie Bishop.
#Steelers released DB Beanie Bishop. pic.twitter.com/94HBiEBayq
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 26, 2025
Packers Must Sign CB Beanie Bishop Following Steelers Release
Packers fans may wonder why the team should jump on the chance to sign the 25-year-old. The Steelers have historically had good defense, so if they are getting rid of one of their defenders, he must not be good, right? In this scenario, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Pittsburgh just has a crowded cornerback room with Darius Slay, Jaylen Ramesy, and Joey Porter Jr. Add in veteran Brandin Echols and Cory Trice Jr., who had a good training camp and preseason, and he had a tough hill to climb to make the roster. Even so, Trice is set to begin the season on short-term IR, so Bishop being cut is still significant.
Nevertheless, signing the 25-year-old would boost the Packers' secondary. Last season, Bishop flashed some major potential. In 17 games( 6 starts), he recorded 45 tackles, seven pass deflections, and four interceptions. His ball-hawking ability is certainly something the Packers' cornerback room could use.
In spite of that, the youngster does come with some drawbacks. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished his rookie year with a 57.1 pass coverage grade, a 55.8 run defense grade, and a 55.6 overall grade. Clearly, he has areas of his game to improve, but he would be a welcome addition for many Packers fans.
As it stands right now, the Packers' cornerbacks are Nate Hobbs, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Kamal Hadden, and wideout-turned CB Bo Melton. Besides Hobbs, the front office is putting a lot of trust into young players and Nixon, who is more known for returning than his cornerback play.
Bishop would at least provide the room with a bit more experience while also having upside, and Packer fans would welcome him with open arms.