As expected, the Pittsburgh Steelers activated rookie cornerback Cameron Sutton to their 53-man roster from the team’s Reserve/Injured list on Tuesday and while it’s great that this year’s first of two third-round draft picks is finally in a position to start contributing, head coach Mike Tomlin hinted during his weekly press conference that the Tennessee product might not even dress for the Sunday night home game against the Green Bay Packers.
“I’m undecided whether or not he’s even going to play at this juncture,” Tomlin said of Sutton when asked Tuesday if he expects to use the cornerback in any capacity on special teams moving forward. “We have some options there in terms of the people that we can utilize. Well see. I think that the work that we do in preparation will provide the clarity that we need there.”
While Sutton is sure to be active for some games before the regular season comes to an end, he very well might not dress Sunday night against the Packers. In fact, Tomlin might need to decide between dressing Sutton or fellow 2017 draft pick, cornerback Brian Allen, Sunday night. While Allen hasn’t played any defensive snaps this season, he has contributed on a few special teams units in the games that he’s dressed for.
The Steelers believe Sutton will become a very versatile cornerback for them during his career due to the fact that he’s regarded as a very smart player and one with the ability to learn and play several different positions in the secondary. Even so, Tomlin tempered his praise Tuesday for Sutton, who has reportedly worked at all the outside and inside cornerback positions during this year’s training camp.
“Working is one thing, playing is another,” Tomlin said of Sutton. “He’s yet to play, so stay tuned.”
We will indeed stay tuned, Mike.
Sutton only played in two preseason games this year for the Steelers due to a hamstring injury that he originally suffered during the early stages of this year’s training camp. He started the regular season on the team’s Reserve/Injured list after reaggravating his hamstring injury during the team’s preseason finale. The Tennessee product also returned punts during his college career in addition to playing multiple cornerback positions.
