Sitting outside the NFL playoff picture, the Pittsburgh Steelers might still be competing every weekend. Nonetheless, the focus has certainly shifted to a crucial 2023 offseason, where the team faces a critical rebuilding year and decisions with several pending free agent veterans, including CB Cameron Sutton.
With multiple holes and areas for improvement on their roster, how has Sutton developed, what does his market look like, and what are the Steelers’ options as they head into the 2023 NFL Draft?
Cameron Sutton Has Been a True CB1 for the Steelers in 2022
It’s been quite some time since the Steelers have had a secondary, primarily corners, that could shut down opposing wide receivers. Blitzburgh has been known since the 70s and through the Dick LeBeau era for generating pressure with its defensive front seven, which alleviated some inefficiencies of the defensive backs.
That’s not the case anymore, as the NFL has moved closer and closer to a vertical game, even with offensive coordinators implementing concepts from the late Mike Leach. Then, you look at the AFC North and realize how vital defensive backs are. Not only do the Steelers face Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Deshaun Watson six times a year, but the rest of the AFC is loaded with top-tier QBs and wide receivers.
Last season, Cameron Sutton was pushed outside and thrust into a more prominent role for the first time in his career after playing primarily in the slot. There were serious growing pains. Sutton allowed the highest passer rating when targeted since his rookie year (104.9), also surrendering six touchdowns and a 68.9% completion percentage.
Sutton is a high-IQ corner, but he was playing while thinking. And due to not being the quickest player on the field, lapses in coverage became more apparent. But in 2022, the game has slowed down for Sutton, and in turn, he has made significant strides as a perimeter cornerback that could pay dividends in free agency.
Sutton’s Stats Stack Up With Some of the Best Corners in the League
This season, Sutton has dropped his passer rating allowed to 71.3. Amongst corners who have played on 300 or more coverage snaps, his 339 yards allowed is 12th-best in the league. Additionally, Sutton has allowed over 55 yards once this year (88 in Week 2 vs. NE) and has two interceptions with three touchdowns allowed and 11 passes defensed. Since the Steelers’ bye in Week 9, he’s allowed a 63.7 QBR, a 47.8% completion rate, and has zero touchdowns surrendered.
After watching Joe Haden, Steven Nelson, and Mike Hilton leave in free agency in years past and then in 2022, losing Ahkello Witherspoon to injury this year, Sutton has become one of the better free agents as a corner who has multi-position versatility in the age of passing. He could not be a bigger asset to bolster a roster.
Sutton Expected To Test Free Agency When Contract Expires in 2023
A 2017 draft pick out of Tennessee, Sutton was not the player he is now when he signed a two-year/$9 million contract in 2020. Few contracts have aged better than Sutton’s. It’s become a steal, leaving Sutton severely underpaid.
That’s especially the case in 2022, where his team-friendly contract has just a $2.8 million cap hit to the team. His $4.5 million AAV is 37th amongst CBs and a third of what fellow Steeler and former Commander William Jackson is earning ($14.5 million AAV).
Sutton himself, back in August via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, stated he and the team had not had any contract negotiations. With the Steelers, an organization that doesn’t do in-season negotiations, barring a resolution during the legal tampering period, it’s more than likely Sutton tries to use his newfound leverage and test the market. I feel the Steelers will regret this one the same way they regret not retaining Nelson and Hilton.
What’s Sutton’s Market Value as He Approaches Free Agency in 2023?
Believe it or not, teams do dumb things at times. Owners who are sick and tired of losing like to spend money. Look at what Steve Cohen is doing in the MLB as an example. It’s so beautiful. Yes, I am a Mets fan, so what?
But there is a larger point than me gloating about my owner, who has a Rembrandt in his bathroom and more money than he knows what to do with. Teams will overpay for a player if they feel it is an area they need to address. If a GM is on the hot seat, you better believe they will be pounding the table for their guy.
I wouldn’t be surprised that, despite turning 28 in February, we see Sutton’s contract exceed expectations, just as his play on the field has surpassed expectations. According to Spotrac, Sutton’s current estimated market value is a three-year/$22.9 million contract with an AAV of $7.6 million per season.
Comparable contracts and players being used for this estimate are Bradley Roby (three years/$31.5M), Michael Davis (three years/$25.2M), Levi Wallace (two years/$8M), and Mike Hilton (four years/$24M).
I honestly think Sutton will be looking for more. $7.6 mil AAV will only move him up to 31st amongst CBs the way things currently stand. Bradley Roby’s three-year/$30 million with a decent chunk guaranteed makes more sense and pushes Sutton around the top 20 in AAV. But what do I know? I don’t write the checks.
Pittsburgh’s Depth Chart Will Be in a Rough Spot if Sutton Leaves (But They Can Fix It)
Cornerback was already a massive need for the Steelers, even if they somehow keep Sutton. Under new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, the Steelers have shifted to a more man-heavy defense but don’t have the personnel to pull it off. Unless Cam Heyward or T.J. Watt can generate pressure, the secondary gets exposed.
And guess what? That whole concept hasn’t been working out. Yes, part of it is due to Watt missing a significant portion of the season due to a pec injury. But the numbers don’t lie. Pittsburgh is 23rd in EPA/play, 20th in dropback EPA and success rate, 22nd in yards allowed on passes of 20 yards or more, 27th in yards per attempt, and 30th in pressure rate (16.2%).
Arthur Maulet has been exploited in the slot all year partially due to his size profile, and while Levi Wallace has a breakout 2021 season with the Bills, moving from the zone-oriented scheme to a more man-based concept has put him on an island far too many times. This is exacerbated when you have a safety like Minkah Fitzpatrick, who is more likely to be in the box than as a bracket defender or center fielder.
MORE: Top 10 CBs in the 2023 NFL Draft
Throw in an injury to Witherspoon (hamstring) and a midseason acquisition of Jackson III, who is still dealing with a back injury and has yet to see the field in the Black and Gold — it’s no wonder the Steelers have struggled, allowing a whopping 10 different receivers to record 95 yards or more on them.
The draft is the best place for the Steelers to fix this issue. They’re currently projected 13th in the draft order, but a few more likely losses could have the Steelers picking inside the top 11 for just the third time in the last 20 years. If they went with a corner, it would be the first CB they have drafted since Artie Burns back in 2016.
The Steelers Have Options Thanks to Their Uncharacteristically Early Draft Pick
If not a left tackle, the obvious pick for me would be Joey Porter Jr. out of Penn State. The obvious ties to the Steelers from his dad may write the story itself. Nonetheless, he is a legit baller and likely one of, if not the best, cover corner in this draft. He has elite ball skills, length, athleticism, and size (6’2″ and 200 pounds) to be the best corner the Steelers have had since prime Ike Taylor. But Porter Jr. can actually catch.
If they want to go with just the freakiest athlete available, Kelee Ringo is their guy. At 6’2″, 210 pounds, no one will outmuscle him, and his 10.43 100-meter means they won’t run by him either. The technical side needs work, but the fact he has gotten this far on talent alone only proves how astronomically high the ceiling is for him.
Christian Gonzalez from Oregon also fits the mold of people you want walking off the bus first on away games. He’s 6’2″, 200 pounds, possesses a 42″ vertical, and maxed out at a staggering 23.3 MPH on GPS, which I always will prefer over 40 times. He is explosive, fluid with his hips and transitions, has length for days, and in his 12 games for the Ducks in 2022, Gonzalez had 45 tackles, four interceptions, and allowed just 60.9% of his targets to be completed.
I’d also throw in Clark Phillips III from Utah into the mix. The only concern with Phillips is his length (5’10”, 191 pounds) could limit him to a slot role. Still, you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone of his stature who can play at a faster game speed with elite short-area explosiveness.
Although the Steelers have more holes than draft picks, having three projected inside the first 43 is a luxury they haven’t had in decades. While the order in which they address those needs could vary, one thing is for certain, an upgrade(s) at corner is a no-matter-what topic the team must address now or live in the basement of the AFC North for years to come. The ball is in your court, Omar Khan. No pressure on your first draft as general manager.