It takes a lot for a player to stand out on the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. A very good player can look like any older starter because of the absurd amount of talent around them. One player that is standing out and making a name for himself this year is Cameron Sutton. He emerged as a solid slot cornerback last year, but this year he has developed into a key player. When Mike Hilton got injured, Sutton stepped into the slot cornerback role. Since then, Sutton has taken snaps in the slot, on the outside, and even at safety. His versatility and coverage abilities will likely earn him a respectable contract this offseason.
Cameron Sutton Playing into a Big Contract
Benefitting from Versatility
Sutton has played 45% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps this year, by far the highest mark in his four seasons. Since Hilton went down, Sutton has played well over 50% of snaps, including a career high 77% in the team’s week 10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Even when Hilton comes back, the team will definitely find ways for Cameron Sutton to stay on the field. This is due to his versatility; there are several ways he can be used.
Against the Bengals, Sutton lined up in coverage in the slot and on the outside. In man coverage, he was solid. The only bad plays he had were on an out route where he took a risk and was inches away from batting the pass down, and a blown coverage on a deep ball. Sutton matched up well against multiple receivers, including Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and A.J. Green. He also dropped back and played some deep zone.
That’s important to how he’ll be used when Hilton returns from injury. Sutton has played some safety this year over Terrell Edmunds when Hilton was healthy. That could continue, especially in passing situations. Edmunds does his best work against the run, while Sutton is great in coverage. It’s a personnel move that makes perfect sense and look for the team to return to it.
Making Splash Plays
Perhaps the best thing to say about Cameron Sutton this year is that he has been making splash plays. While the Steelers secondary is full of great players, they don’t make a ton of splash plays (read: turnovers) outside of Minkah Fitzpatrick. That’s not the case with Sutton. He has forced a fumble in three straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL. Those three forced fumbles lead the team and tie him for second in the league. He has recorded an interception this year as well, to go with three passes defended.
The best part about Sutton’s performance is that there’s still room for improvement. He’s allowing a passer rating of 81.4 when targeted. That’s not a bad number; it’s the second best of the Steelers secondary to Joe Haden. His passer rating when targeted in 2019 was 54.1, so Sutton is definitely capable of getting that number down. He’s also allowing a completion percentage of 66.7%, which would ideally be lower. Still, it’s nitpicking to find much to complain about with Sutton this year. He has exceeded expectations in replacing Hilton and will continue to play meaningful snaps when Hilton returns.
Bad News for Steelers Fans
With the way the team is playing this year, not many Steelers fans are thinking about next year. But whenever you’re talking about contracts with the Steelers, this is a discussion that needs to take place. They are not in a very good position with the salary cap for next year. A Ben Roethlisberger extension will free up some space. A T.J. Watt mega extension, however, will be a necessary but big hit to the cap space. And the team will have a whole host of starters that become free agents next offseason. The team will need to make a ton of tough decisions and Cameron Sutton will be one of them.
At the end of the 2019 season, we knew the Steelers would look very different come 2021. Back then, the guess was that Sutton would be extended while Hilton would walk because the belief was that Hilton would be substantially more expensive. With the way Sutton is playing this year, though, it’s not so clear who will cost more. Hilton is definitely better against the run and as a blitzer, while Sutton is way more versatile and can play several positions. Both are solid in coverage. Only one of them will be brought back, if the team can afford either of them. Whether it ends up being Cameron Sutton or not, the team and the fan base are very appreciative of what they are seeing from him this year.
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