Following the news of the 8-game suspension for veteran Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy stemming from a March arrest following an alleged domestic violence incident in Florida, the discussion has shifted to his signing being all the more puzzling because Sutton will miss the first eight weeks and won’t be available until Week 10 after the Steelers’ Week 9 bye week.
That 8-game suspension has led to many questioning the signing even further. While the Steelers knew a suspension was coming for the veteran cornerback following the incident in Hillsborough County, Florida in March, which led to his release from the Detroit Lions, it’s unclear if they expected the 8 games.
It’s led to a bit of a Public Relations hit, too, as the allegations against Sutton are quite ugly. So, was it worth taking the PR hit for a guy who will miss half the season due to suspension?
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo believes adding Sutton for the veteran minimum was still worth it.
Appearing on 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show Wednesday, Fittipaldo said that having Cameron Sutton available and healthy for the toughest stretch of the season makes the signing still worth it, even with the 8-game suspension.
“I think so, guys. If you look at the second half of the schedule, that’s where all of your difficult games are,” Fittipaldo said when asked if the signing was still worth it, according to 93.7 The Fan on YouTube. “And I’m not saying the Steelers can get by with one of those guys and be totally okay in the first half of the season, but your easier games are in the first half. So if they can negotiate that portion of the schedule, maybe mix and match…
“But yeah, I think, for the vet minimum you get him for nine games and potentially a postseason run, I think that’s just fine.”
The back half of the schedule for the Steelers is absolutely brutal. That is well known.
That final eight-game stretch will feature all six AFC North matchups, as well as battles against the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. Potentially having Sutton for those games, assuming health, will be huge, considering he will plug a huge need at the slot cornerback position.
But the Steelers must get to that brutal stretch in a good spot record-wise. Having a glaring hole at slot cornerback now and hoping one of Grayland Arnold, Josiah Scott, Beanie Bishop, or even another outside signing can hold down that spot for the first eight weeks is a big ask.
Arnold and Scott have the NFL experience in the slot and the Steelers really like what Bishop brings to the table, but none of those guys have the talent or the experience that Cameron Sutton has. Signing him to a veteran minimum deal was a good bit of business financially.
The looming suspension made things difficult, though. Now, with him out eight games, it raises even more questions about whether it was worth it.
Only time will tell now. For it to be worth it, Cameron Sutton will have to return in Week 10 and have an impact down the stretch. If not, it will remain a head-scratching decision from the Steelers that really wasn’t all that necessary in the first place.
