With the Steelers set to make some defensive changes, one player really needs to see his role condensed in 2022.
The Steelers’ defense suffered an unpredictable meltdown this past season. Injuries and natural regression saw a once-dominant unit turn into a mediocre one. While Cameron Sutton wasn’t a primary issue, his first season as a starter wasn’t a very memorable one.
With some new faces almost certainly set to join this secondary, his ability to play every position should be condensed down to get the most out of him. Here are three reasons that Sutton needs to return to the slot position in 2021.
Steelers can get the most of his athleticism
While Sutton is far from a bad athlete, he certainly doesn’t have elite speed and agility which can make him a liability on the outside. This is most noticed when covering teams with extremely fast receivers, such as the Chiefs. While Sutton can use good positioning and technique to make up for this, he still won’t be able to hang with the bigger and faster options on the outside.
If he were to make a full-time move back to the inside, his minor athletic concerns would be gone essentially. Slot cornerbacks rely far more on instincts and technique as opposed to pure athleticism.
Mike Hilton excels as a slot option despite never being the biggest or fastest defender in the field. While not a huge concern, keeping Sutton exclusively in the slot hides any deficiencies he has with covering faster receivers.