Cam Sutton is in the last year of his contract and I believe it should be extended. Here’s why the Steelers need to extend him.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have traditionally had trouble drafting corners but one corner they have hit on is Cameron Sutton. Now I’m not ready to say he is a star or anything like that, but he is capable of being a solid starter in the NFL. He can play the inside and the outside at the cornerback position and that really helps.
Some players could be on their way out at the cornerback position and so it would be nice to get some stability at the position. Joe Haden is in the last year of having most of his contract guaranteed and Mike Hilton has underperformed from early on in his career. Sutton could be a replacement for either.
The other thing to consider is that Sutton is the type of player you want to keep around. He is a very intelligent team guy. That can bode well for a guy as he ages into his career. He also doesn’t have much tread on him as he hasn’t been a starter for an extended period of time.
Mike Hilton might not be the answer at nickelback for the Steelers
The Steelers have rolled with Mike Hilton for the past three or four years with Hilton as their nickel corner. He has done a fine enough job but there are some questions.
The first question is will the Steelers be able to retain him at the end of the season. He is a player who has plenty of experience and that could bode well for Hilton getting an outside contract. The Steelers could want to retain him next offseason but another team might want to pay him more.
The other problem with Hilton is that his play has declined over his career. Hilton’s best year was his rookie year and has declined in performance since then. That downward trajectory might make him overpriced as a free agent.
Joe Haden is aging
Even if Mike Hilton is retained next offseason or extended this offseason, there may still be a need for Sutton to start. Joe Haden is starting to get up there in age and although I think this year he will start the future hangs in the balance.
In 2021, Joe Haden will be 32 and will have seven million in a base salary. That means the Steelers can save seven million under the cap by cutting him.
The Steelers will hope that Haden has a good year and will want to be retained for that amount but if he has an average or bad year, it would be tempting to cut him especially with the cap not expected to go up with the revenue lost from the coronavirus.
Cam Sutton is just the type of player you want to keep around
There are two scenarios where Sutton cracks the starting lineup but another reason they should extend him is that he is the type of player they want to keep around.
The Steelers could get Sutton at a bargain because he has never been a starter. That gives the Steelers the edge when extending Sutton.
Sutton also might take a long term deal to secure his NFL future. He has only been paid a third-round salary over five years and will want to add some more NFL paychecks.
Conclusion
Cameron Sutton is a good player to have on your team and extending him will be great at this time. This is a time the Steelers can get him at a bargain and have a starter quality corner on their roster.
The NFL is a league that is always hurting for corners. Just look at the Minnesota Vikings who have invested so much into the cornerback position. Sutton can also play the inside and outside role at the corner position for the Steelers.
The other added benefit is if Haden and Hilton come back in 2021, they could still get Sutton on the field by using him as the fourth cornerback in the dime package. You don’t always need extra safety to run an effective dime package. This is also important with the explosion of slot receivers coming into the NFL.