While Cam Sutton took all of his spring reps as an outside corner, Carnell Lake didn’t rule out kicking him to the slot in training camp. The Beaver County Times’ Chris Mueller tweeted this out two days ago.
It was a bit surprising to see Sutton begin on the outside with a pressing need, in the short and long-term, at the slot. Given Sutton’s football IQ and the positional need, it looked like a good fit. But Sutton did play more on the outside at Tennessee and the transition to the NFL is easier there than the slot.
If Sutton stays in his current spot, William Gay and Senquez Golson will battle it out for the starting nod inside. The edge is currently in Gay’s favor, perhaps even in a big way.
The Steelers normally like to keep rookies in one spot to lighten the load on them, getting into trouble doing so with Sean Davis last season. Sutton’s unlikely to see playing time on the outside with Artie Burns and Ross Cockrell cemented on each side. Of course, if there’s an injury, Sutton figures to be next man up, already beginning to earn the confidence of the coaching staff.
Should he get on the field in any context, hopefully he provides some splash plays for the defense, something the cornerback group lacked last year, totaling only four picks. Burns was responsible for three of them.
