As the current state of affairs exists, the Pittsburgh Steelers are fresh off a thrilling 24-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football. At 4-7, the team’s slim playoff hopes remain on life support, and one cannot begin to wonder what changes are ahead in the offseason. The team will be well equipped with several high draft picks, including their own and the second-rounder they acquired from the Chase Claypool trade with the Bears, which if the season ended today, would be the 34th overall pick. In essence, almost another first rounder.
But what about free agency? Obviously this team has some needs to fill if they want to ensure this outlier of a season doesn’t happen again next year. Brad Spielberger at PFF.com is already scanning the free agent pool for 2023, and he recently compiled his list of the top-25 talents available leaguewide.
Coming in at number 20, he has cornerback Cam Sutton, which may come as a surprise to some, considering the secondary of the team has been a massive disappointment thus far. Their pass defense ranks in the bottom-four, albeit playing the majority of the season without reigning NFL DPOY T.J. Watt.
However, he spoke highly of Sutton, touching on his exceptional versatility, where he’s a capable playmaker, either on the outside or manning the slot.
“Sutton signed a two-year, $9 million deal in 2021 that he has outplayed thus far, earning a 72.7 coverage grade and allowing just 284 receiving yards in 2022 — the fifth-fewest among cornerbacks with at least 300 coverage snaps on the season,” Spielberger said via PFF.
At still just 27 years of age, it’s possible his best football may yet be in front of him, and if the team indeed views him as an integral piece of their defensive unit moving forward, I see no reason as to why they wouldn’t make every effort to re-sign him.
Interestingly enough, former Steelers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and his seven sacks came in at number four on this list and some still question that move to allow him to leave town. But what do you think of the PFF list and a potential new deal for Sutton? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
