Controversial at the time, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ addition of veteran DB Cam Sutton hasn’t looked good from the moment it happened through the end of the season. Signing Sutton just months after an offseason arrest for domestic violence, Sutton was a cheap, one-year signing. So far, the Steelers have gotten what they paid for. Weighing in on the move Friday, beat writer Ray Fittipaldo thinks GM Omar Khan is regretting the move.
“If you would ask Omar in a private moment, I think he probably thought Cam Sutton coming back would’ve been much more beneficial than it has been to this point,” Fittipaldo told 93.7 The Fan’s Joe Starkey. “So I don’t really fault him for that. I think Cam was very well-respected here the first time around and nobody, absolutely nobody, criticized that as a football move when that was made.”
Where it was criticized was the moral move. Pittsburgh provided a quick springboard to a player accused of a heinous incident even if felony charges were dropped as Sutton entered a diversion program to scrub his record. The Steelers explained it as having enough of a relationship with him, drafting Sutton in 2017 and rostering him for six seasons, to feel comfortable giving him a second chance.
On or off the field, the move hasn’t looked smart. Cam Sutton spent the first eight games of the year suspended before being brought back and debuting after the Steelers’ bye in Week 10. From the get-go, he’s looked slow and has struggled in coverage. What could’ve been excused early as rust has become a pattern and Sutton, known for a high football IQ, has been around several apparent communication breakdowns during the team’s losing streak.
Still, Fittipaldo defended the team’s thought process at the time.
“I don’t think anyone could look back and say it was a bad move back in June or July, whenever that happened,” he said.
Perhaps that’s fair. From a football standpoint, it wasn’t criticized then the way it is now. But Sutton had a miserable year in Detroit even before his legal troubles and Pittsburgh did little to create confidence at slot corner this offseason. They added Cam Sutton, signed Beanie Bishop Jr. post-draft, and picked up veteran Grayland Arnold in June. Bishop’s had an up-and-down rookie year, Sutton has been poor, and Arnold went down with a camp injury.
Since Mike Hilton left Pittsburgh for Cincinnati, the organization hasn’t found a long-term replacement at nickel. Despite it being a de facto starting position and one important to the defense — having Hilton gave the Steelers a unique edge — they’ve paid little mind to finding a multi-year option. Sutton is doubtful to return and while Bishop will be back in 2025, the team needs more than what it has now. Not just in volume but substance.
