Insiders and fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers have speculated that veteran Cameron Sutton will replace Beanie Bishop Jr. at nickel cornerback for the team. Sutton will make his 2024 debut in Week 10 after serving an eight-game suspension.
But Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t appear to exactly see it that way. In his latest press conference, Tomlin made it clear that Sutton could take snaps away from any Pittsburgh defensive back.
“That’s to be determined,” Tomlin said on November 5 of Sutton’s role. “But I think that’s one of the things that makes Cam so interesting and valuable to us. He’s a utility back. His football intellect and physical capabilities is such that he can play anywhere and he has.”
“I know there’s been a lot of speculation, to be quite honest with you, about how him and Beanie [Bishop] might function. It’s really two separate discussions. Cam is capable of playing anywhere in the secondary.
“If people need to be concerned about reps or division of labor, I would advise everybody in the secondary to be on notice because Cam is that versatile.”
On November 10, Sutton will play in his first game with the Steelers since Week 18 of the 2022 season.
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Touts Versatility of Cameron Sutton
A free agent signing making his season debut during Week 10 usually wouldn’t be able to hit the ground running in his first game. But Sutton’s return could be viewed as a veteran coming back from an injury more than anything else.
Sutton played the first six seasons of his career with the Steelers. During his final year with Pittsburgh in 2022, he played for Steelers current defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.
Prior to that, Austin was Sutton’s secondary coach from 2019-21.
The Steelers signed Sutton despite his legal trouble this offseason because the coaching staff knows exactly how they want to use him. Based on history, they are going to use him in a lot of different ways.
“His last year for us, he was an outside corner, he was a nickel, he was a dime,” Tomlin told reporters. “He was capable of playing safety at times and allow Minkah [Fitzpatrick] to move around and come down and do other things. That versatility, that utility component is a major attraction to us.”
Sutton played mostly wide corner in 2022. But he also lined up for at least 75 snaps at slot corner and safety. Sutton played at least 185 snaps at nickel cornerback every year for the Steelers from 2020-22.
That’s why a lot of pundits expect Sutton to replace Bishop in the slot. But Bishop has come on as of late, recording 3 interceptions in the past two games.
Sutton will likely take some snaps away from Bishop. But the Steelers could also deploy both on the field at the same time, with Bishop at nickel and Sutton elsewhere.
Sutton Returning From 8-Game Suspension
The veteran defensive back’s return will give the Steelers secondary a boost. But it’s worth reviewing again why Pittsburgh was able to re-sign Sutton this offseason.
The Detroit Lions released Sutton on March 21 after the Hillsborough County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of domestic violence. His release came just one year after the Lions signed him to a 3-year, $33 million contract.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported Sutton was formally charged with misdemeanor battery.
It’s unclear how early in the offseason the Steelers were communicating with Sutton. At the NFL league meetings during March, Tomlin received a question about whether he was in contact with Sutton. The Steelers coach responded, saying, “That’s none of your business.”
Sutton told reporters he had conversations with the Steelers throughout the offseason. He entered a pretrial diversion program in April. The Steelers signed Sutton on June 5 with the likely knowledge that he would probably serve some type of suspension for the domestic incident.
The Steelers drafted Sutton in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has posted 233 combined tackles, including 12 tackle for loss. He has also recorded 44 pass defenses, 9 interceptions and 2 sacks in 101 NFL games.
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Mike Tomlin Puts Steelers Secondary On Notice With Cameron Sutton Return