The Steelers have to do everything they can to retain Sutton this coming offseason
With the Steelers offseason beginning to ramp up, there are a slew of pending free agents that have fans worrying about serious regression next year. While the team is likely to lose quite a few of these players such as JuJu Smith-Schuster, Bud Dupree, and Alejandro Villanueva, they would be foolish to allow Cameron Sutton to walk.
Here are the four reasons he needs to be the team’s top priority to resign.
His play
While the most obvious of reasons, the Steelers had some really solid play from the fourth-year cornerback this year. While he was technically a reserve, he was a starter on the field for dime defense. As well, he was the first player off the bench when the team needed a healthy body. This allowed him to play a total of 54 percent of the snaps this season, a career-high for him. He certainly showed up when he played, as the argument could be made that he was the Steelers’ top coverage corner.
While on defense, he was targeted a total of 56 times and only allowed 34 completions and one touchdown. This was good for a completion percentage allowed of 60.7 percent and a quarterback rating just below 80. All of those numbers are extremely good, especially when you consider how the Steelers used him. He played all over the defense: deep as a pseudo-safety, in the slot, and even as a boundary corner. Despite the various places he played, Sutton made the most of his opportunities. He had the best year in coverage of any of the Steelers corners and deserves to be paid for it.
His value
While Sutton played extremely well this past season, he doesn’t have as much star power as some of the other names that were mentioned previously in this post have. This benefits him though, as with the Steelers likely being cap-strapped, he could be a more realistic target to be resigned. He won’t be cheap by any means, but in a market that may be slightly deflated due to the cap number likely not increasing, he has a real shot to be on the Steelers next year.
Spotrac has his projected value at 7.2 million per season, which seems right if the market was going to be at full strength. Meanwhile, PFF projected that the Steelers would resign him to a deal closer to 3 million per season. In the end, I think his market value is going to be right around 6 million per season. If the team spreads that out over a multi-year deal, his cap hit could be minimal for year one.
Say the Steelers sign Sutton to a four-year deal for 24 million dollars (6 million per year) with an 8 million dollar signing bonus. The Steelers could get his first-year cap hit to be right around 3 million total. That hit is minimal considering the value he brings to this team. Considering the Steelers could cut either of their starters on the outside as well as let Mike Hilton leave in free agency, having a versatile player like Sutton on a deal that gives him a light first-year cap hit would be huge. He could be penciled in as a replacement for an outside corner or be given the slot duty full-time next year.
Need at CB
The last point bleeds into the next slightly, but it still holds true on its own. It isn’t talked about that heavily, but the Steelers could have a serious need at cornerback this offseason. Both of their slot corners are set to be free agents and they have some serious question marks along the outside. Joe Haden had a good season, but age did seem to catch up to him a bit. He had a couple of mental and physical lapses as a player that ultimately cost the team. The Steelers could save roughly 7 million dollars by releasing him, something they may be forced to do if the cap doesn’t recover well.
As well, Steven Nelson had a down year compared to his 2019 with the Steelers. It wasn’t a train wreck, but he was beaten in coverage far more often than before. Considering his age, he is likely brought back, but another down year could lead to him leaving. Finally, despite his strong play, Hilton seems destined for a big payday. That likely won’t be by the Steelers given the cap constraints.
Given Sutton’s versatility, he would be a major piece in the secondary going forward. If he was brought back, he would more than likely be the slot corner unless the team found a way to retain Hilton as well. He could also shift to the outside if regression continues for the starters there. The Steelers have a sneaky need at corner this offseason, but a lot of that can be alleviated by bringing back the versatile Sutton.
Needs filled elsewhere
As stated earlier, Sutton is mixed in with a Steelers free-agent class that is filled with quality talent. What makes him the priority over everyone else is the fact that the Steelers are better suited to lose one of their other starters than if they lost Sutton. As of now, there are no realistic slot corners on this team, and the outside corners are filled with uncertainties as Justin Layne appears to be headed toward bust status given his benching in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Steelers already have a replacement for Dupree in Alex Highsmith on the roster. He showed that he has the talent to start, which means finding a new edge rusher in the offseason shouldn’t be a priority. Villanueva is a little different, but similar to Dupree, the team can work with what they have. Chukwuma Okorafor can likely shift to left tackle next year and assuming the Steelers bring back Zach Banner, they have a capable right tackle.
The toughest pill to swallow would be Smith-Schuster, as while the Steelers have a deep receiving depth chart, they don’t have a clear slot option outside of him. That said, the Steelers do notoriously well with drafting receivers and could even seek out a cheaper free agent to bring in. Those holes can easily be filled in but losing your slot corner and top outside backup would be harder to fill. The Steelers have players ready to fill in elsewhere, but they are lacking that at corner.
While he may not be the top traditional name on this list, the Steelers must prioritize resigning Sutton this offseason. He displayed his value for the Steelers throughout the year, and his top-level play was key in critical games. The Steelers can get by with some of their current roster players filling in for departed starters. The same can’t be said for Sutton right now.