The Pittsburgh Steelers should have cornerback at or near the top of their needs list this offseason. They need to address the position, how they will do that is unclear. Their best CB in 2022 was Cameron Sutton, who just wrapped up his sixth season with the Steelers, and is now a free agent.
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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback, Cam Sutton.
There is no solid heir apparent behind Sutton. The CB position has been marred by inconsistencies and injuries to William Jackson III and Ahkello Witherspoon. That means that the team has a big decision to make and a new report from CBS, listing Sutton third among free agent CB's, only serves to raise his stock on the open market.
Can And Should The Steelers Keep Cam Sutton?
Sutton, who was drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, chose the ideal time to have the best season of his career. During his career, Sutton has steadily improved each season.
According to CBS's report by Tyler Sullivan, Sutton ranks third among CB free agents behind James Bradberry from the Philadelphia Eagles and Jamel Dean from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
"Similar to Dean, Sutton is a young corner hitting the market at the perfect time. He's also coming off the most productive season of his career, notching a career-high 15 pass breakups and three interceptions in 2022. Not only that, but quarterbacks completed just 47.9% of their passes against Sutton in coverage and boasted a measly 65.3 passer rating. If teams buy into Sutton as an ascending player and that what we saw last year from him will be more of the norm, he could get paid handsomely."
Sutton also came in third on defensive snaps during 2020-22, with only Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds logging more. This allowed him to become a critical part of a secondary that has seen itself challenged more and more over recent seasons, but showed substantial improvements throughout last season.
He had some career-best stats during the 2022 season, including the three interceptions mentioned by CBS. He also batted down a whopping 15 passes and earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 71.6. That grade makes him 17th among active corners in the league.
Sutton also has something else that other free agents don't have, familiarity with the Steelers. While knowing a player and having the player know the organization is not necessarily a top priority, it is one factor that comes into play, especially when a team might be looking at picking up multiple players at the same position.
Keeping or replacing Sutton does not entirely solve the Steelers' CB needs. While it is too soon to know for sure, given the injuries to the aforementioned players, as well as other offseason transactions, Pittsburgh may also draft a CB.
The team made no secret that it was very interested in CB's at the NFL Combine. The staff met with Joey Porter Jr. from Penn State, as well as Christian Gonzalez from Oregon. They did not limit themselves to just the top players at CB, they also spoke to some mid-level players and were impressed by Emmanuel Forbes from Mississippi State.
Photo Credit: Penn State Athletics
Steelers fans would love to see Joey Porter Jr lining up in black and gold at Acrisure Stadium next year if he falls to Pittsburgh in the draft.
Right now, Sutton is projected to command about $7.6 million a year. That is a step up from the roughly $4.5 million a year he got on his prior contract. Sutton has shown that he deserves to be paid at a higher level. Sutton at $7.6 million still allows room for the Steelers to put some money into other positions. Dean and Bradberry, who ranked ahead of Sutton on CBS's list are going to command about $15-$17 million a year as a comparison.
What do you think the Steelers should do at CB? Do you think they should keep Sutton? How much do you think he deserves? Even if they keep Sutton would you like to see them go after a young corner in the draft? Where do you see the CB position fitting into our needs list? Click to comment below.
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