The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t just getting healthier out of their Week 9 bye. They’re getting back CB Cam Sutton from his eight-game suspension. Guys like CB Joey Porter Jr. are excited for the reinforcements.
“We got a savvy vet that’s able to play all sorts of positions and been in his defense for a long time,” Porter said via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Just having him back, having extra knowledge, and another communicator on the field is a great part of the defense.”
Sutton was suspended for the first half of the season due to violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy for his offseason arrest and domestic abuse allegations, initially a felony he pled down to enter a diversion program. The Detroit Lions released him one year into his three-year contract and the Steelers signed him months later. They received sharp criticism for the move but will now get the on-field benefit of his game.
Versatility is his calling card. Sutton can align anywhere in the secondary: slot corner, outside corner, deep-half safety, or middle-third. He’ll allow the team to spin and rotate coverages, presenting a different post-snap picture for the quarterback and receivers to read.
How Sutton will be integrated is a situation worth watching. Will he fully replace rookie Beanie Bishop Jr., coming on strong with three interceptions his last two games? Or will there be a mix-and-match? The latter is more likely than some think. Sutton could work in dime packages, replacing Terrell Edmunds who has been used in that role since CB Cory Trice Jr.’s hamstring injury. That would place Sutton and Bishop on the field instead of taking one off.
Sutton gives Pittsburgh what every team needs – options. If someone gets hurt, he can fill the gaps. If there’s a specific game plan or look the defense wants to give, he can help. It’s unlikely he’ll have the every down role he assumed in his previous stint with the team. But in addition to the possible/probable return of C Zach Frazier, EDGE Nick Herbig, RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson, and others, Sutton will boost the team for a second-half playoff push.
