I don’t want to sweep under the rug the baggage CB Cam Sutton brings. Once facing felony domestic battery charges (now dropped and misdemeanors), ostensibly on the run from police, warrants for his arrest, getting released by the Detroit Lions. There’s still genuine uncertainty over if and how much he’ll be able to play this year should the NFL step in and use its broad discretion to suspend him for a portion of the season.
But purely from a football standpoint, adding Sutton makes Pittsburgh better. He becomes the one defensive upgrade they desperately needed. A slot corner. Exiting the draft, the Steelers didn’t have much. A practice squader in Josiah Scott, who flashed a bit in Philadelphia but had never found solid footing. Undrafted free agent Beanie Bishop, a quality addition but still someone you can’t count on from the jump. Clearly, there was more work to do.
With Sutton, he should be the guy. For the first time since Mike Hilton, the Steelers could have an all-situations nickel. Someone able to play on all three downs, defend the run and pass, instead of having a “run down” slot (Arthur Maulet, Chandon Sullivan) and “pass down” slot (Patrick Peterson). Sutton isn’t as aggressive or physical or the blitzer Hilton was, but he can get the job done from the interior.
And he can be more than a slot option. Sutton’s calling card was versatility, the football IQ to align all over the field. While he might not see much time on the outside, Donte Jackson and Joey Porter Jr. should assume those roles, he can still be a chess piece. In his first stint with the Steelers, Sutton would often rotate post-snap with Minkah Fitzpatrick, becoming the deep half or post safety as Fitzpatrick spun down to play the flat or rob crossing routes over the middle.
In the 2022 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, watch Sutton in the slot rotate with Fitzpatrick. On this 3rd and 10, the Steelers stay with their two-presentation but with Sutton bailing to the deep half and Fitzpatrick occupying the middle of this Cover 2 defense. The play ends in QB Joe Burrow being sacked.
Sutton’s presence will create plenty of flexibility for the Steelers’ sub-package defense. And will further free up Fitzpatrick, who felt figuratively hamstrung by a restrictive defensive scheme when he wasn’t literally sidelined by hamstring pulls. In addition to signing SS Deshon Elliott, Fitzpatrick should be much more free.
And what if an outside corner gets hurt? Depth is thin behind Porter and Jackson if either goes down, unproven options like Cory Trice Jr. and Darius Rush along with vet Anthony Averett trying to fill those gaps. Sutton could bounce outside in those moments and kick back inside in dime situations, similar to what he did in 2022. Of course, that’d require someone to replace him on the outside, and someone who can assume early down duties in the slot, but the flexibility helps play whatever hand the Steelers are dealt.
The biggest question with Sutton is if the NFL will let him play the entire year. The league often let legal situations play out fully before weighing in, but it could step in at any time and suspend him. It’s a bridge to cross later on. For the moment, Pittsburgh’s in a much better spot.
