Cameron Sutton
There is no player on the Steelers pending free agents list that needs to return more than Cameron Sutton. He was vital as an outside and slot option for the defense this past season and considering his price tag should be lower than some of the other pending free agents, he needs to be re-signed. He would have a clear path to a starting spot next season, as he could comfortably slide into the slot spot. Long-term, he could take over for Joe Haden on the outside.
As I have said before, Sutton was arguably the Steelers’ best cover cornerback this past season despite only playing around 50 percent of the snaps. He was impactful in creating turnovers as well, picking off one pass and improving upon his ability to punch out fumbles. That type of defensive playmaker mixed in with his age and potential cost makes him a must in terms of re-signing.
It will be up to what his market value ends up coming in at. Spotrac says he should get a contract at around 7.2 million a year, but considering they have Mike Hilton only listed slightly above that, it would be fair to see that a little lower. Personally, I think he gets 5-6 million a year over three or so years. That would give him a low first-year cap hit and would pay him a fair value for where he is at. He is the most important free agent right now for the team though.
While the Steelers cap space isn’t ideal, there is still some hope that they can retain some of their upcoming free agents. The team will have to make the most out of the little space that they have though, as they will be cutting it close no matter who is brought back. These four names above make the most sense for the team to try and retain this offseason.