The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2024 NFL offseason with the cornerback position being one of their biggest needs.
After a month and a half of free agency and the completion of the NFL Draft, it seems that is still going to be the case.
With that need still intact it looks like the Steelers could need to turn their attention back to the crop of remaining free agents.
It turns out they have actually already met with a controversial member if that group of free agent corners.
According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, the Steelers met with former Detroit Lions corner Cameron Sutton, who played in Pittsburgh from 2017 to 2022.
Sutton’s NFL Run
Sutton was originally drafted by the Steelers in the third round back in 2017.
He spent the first six years of his career in Pittsburgh and was a solid contributor for the team.
In the first four years, Sutton was more of a rotational player, but was still able to make 73 total tackles and defend 17 passes.
The Steelers brought him back on a two-year deal and he became a much bigger part of the defense.
He became a full-time starter during the 2021 season, making 52 tackles and intercepting a pair of passes.
Sutton followed that up with the best season of his career in 2022.
He made 43 tackles, intercepted 3 passes, and defended 15 passes.
Sutton’s time with the Steelers was impressive enough for the Lions to give him a three-year contract worth $33 million.
However, he only ended up playing one year of that deal.
Sutton’s 2023 season was a disappointing one. Sutton got torched by opposing receivers this past season.
According to PFF, he allowed opposing receivers to catch 67.4% of their targets when he was in coverage.
He also gave up an average of 14.8 yards on those catches.
This offseason, Sutton was cut following an allegation of domestic violence.
The Position the Steelers Didn’t Address
Over the first two days of the draft, the Steelers addressed just about everything their fans could have wanted.
Their first round pick was a tackle. They followed that up by drafting a center in the second round.
With their offensive line taken care of, the Steelers got their WR2 in round three. Then they used their other third rounder to add an inside linebacker.
The one thing they still haven’t addressed is the need at cornerback. Despite having traded for Donte Jackson this offseason, the team is still thin at the position.
It is currently unclear who their slot corner is going to be in 2024 and Jackson isn’t a big upgrade over Patrick Peterson as their second wide corner.
Sutton might not be the answer for the Steelers regardless of how his off-field issues play out.
He appeared to be declining in 2023 and the team could just bring back Peterson if they want a declining corner as a depth piece.
Peterson also proved last season that he is capable of lining up in the slot for the Steelers.
There Steelers are definitely going to need to make another move this offseason to solidify their cornerback position and finish rounding out their defense. Sutton just might not be that move at this point in his career.
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