Former Steelers LB Arthur Moats' Inside Look At How He Compares Patrick Peterson to Cam Sutton

The Pittsburgh Steelers came out of the gates strong for the start of free agency this season and signed former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson to a two-year contract worth $14 million. The other big move that happened in Pittsburgh on Monday was the loss of CB Cam Sutton to the Detroit Lions. 

Sutton just wrapped up what is arguably the best season of his career in Pittsburgh and whether or not he would be re-signed has been one of the top talking points among fans. He was just able to get more money from Detroit than Pittsburgh was willing to play. The Lions locked him in for a three-year $33 million deal. 

Peterson on the other hand, spent most of his career in Arizona, until signing with the Vikings two years ago. While Peterson may be 32 years old, he has shown that he is still playing at a very high level. 

Former Steelers Player Arthur Moats Compares Sutton and Peterson

On his podcast, The Arthur Moats Experience, Arthur Moats compared the two CB's. Moats played as a linebacker for the Steelers from 2014-2017. In 2018, he signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals where he was teammates with Peterson. Moats had this to say about his impression of Peterson from when they played together:

"Pat P a dope player, a great athlete, extremely fast, a very cerebral player, smart as heck. We obviously spent time together out in Arizona. I've been a fan of his game since he came out of LSU. The dude can get it done as a corner, as a return man. Has he lost a step? Absolutely. We're not going to act like he hasn't. I definitely like him still as a man-to-man corner. He still has great hands in terms of creating turnovers, he ain't dropping nothing. And when he catches it, he's trying to take it to the house, more than capable of that. He will definitely be our #1 when you're looking at him vs Ahkello Witherspoon or Levi Wallace, he's definitely better than all those dudes."

Moats goes on to say that he feels like the Peterson signing makes sense for Pittsburgh. He had already said earlier in the episode that he felt that Sutton is a good player, but not at the $11 million level. He's a high-end #1 type of guy when he's on his game. Moats says that Peterson gives the Steelers a huge boost at that position. As far as differences in their skill set, Moats had this to say:

"Pat P isn't giving you all the movement around that Cam Sutton is going to give you in terms of the position of flexibility. But at the same time, Cam Sutton can't cover one on one to the capability or the level that Pat P can cover. Pat P is an elite-tier athlete in terms of speed, change of direction, footwork, and hands. Cam can't see that. Pat P can't see Cam Sutton when you're talking about physicality, when you're talking about tackling. Cam Sutton gonna give you that consistently, that's his thing. It's just a different class of guy."  

As with all player changes, there are positives and negatives. Moats believes that this signing helps to alleviate some of the worry that a top corner will be gone before they get to the Steelers at 17. Signing Peterson gives the Steelers a little breathing room. 

"You trade off youth, versatility, and tackling for a high-end man-to-man corner. This doesn't take away the need, but it takes away the urgency. When you look at the roster and it's Akhello Witherspoon and Levi and now it's a different conversation. You don't have to feel pressured, but you're still going to take a corner. But now you're not saying, 'I got to trade up and do whatever I can to get one of those guys.' You might feel like at 32, I could take a guy because you already got Pat P in the house." 

What do you think about the Peterson signing? Do you agree with Moats' assessment of the differences between Peterson and Sutton? Does signing Peterson alleviate the sting of Sutton leaving? Do you think the Steelers will still look to draft a CB in 2023? Click to comment below.

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