Pittsburgh Steelers rookie cornerback Cameron Sutton has been on the teams Reserve/Injured list since the start of the regular season but it sounds like the hamstring injury that he’s been dealing with is close to being fully healed.
“Right on pace for what we need to do,” Sutton said Monday about his current status, according to Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “And we’re right on track for getting me back to where I was playing at before — and how I was feeling before.”
Assuming Sutton doesn’t suffer any setbacks, the Steelers third-round selection will be eligible to return to the active 53-man roster after Week 8 of the regular season. Ahead of that happening and if cleared by the team’s medical staff, he can resume practicing in two more weeks.
Sutton, who dealt with a hamstring injury during training camp, reaggravated it in the Steelers preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers and was subsequently placed on the team’s Reserve/Injured list after the final round of cuts were made.
Sutton’s missed time, however, almost certainly has him behind the rest of the team even though he’s reportedly still been attending team meetings and being present on sideline during games.
“I’m still paying attention to all the calls and gameplans and everything throughout the course of the week,” Sutton said, per Adamski. “Only thing that I would just be missing is just the physical aspect of it, but that will come as soon as I am able.”
Come time Sutton is eligible to be placed back on the Steelers 53-man roster as one of the team’s two designated to return players this season, it will be interesting to see what the corresponding move might ultimately be. Currently, the Steelers have six cornerbacks on their 53-man roster and entering Week 5, all are presumably fully healthy.
As soon as Sutton begins practicing, a 21-day window for him being added to the active roster opens. Will the Steelers hold off letting him resume practicing in a few weeks if the rest of the cornerbacks on the 53-man roster continue to play well and more importantly, stay healthy? We’ll see in a few more weeks.
Sutton, who wore No. 20 during the preseason, now wears No. 34.
