Cameron Sutton evolved into every-down leader for Steelers in ‘21

Throughout his NFL career, Cameron Sutton has been the man who could do everything for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It wasn’t until Year 5, though, when Sutton did do everything for them, and on a full-time basis.

Only one Steelers player (Terrell Edmunds) was on the field more often during the 2021 season than Sutton, who played all but 18 of 1,171 defensive snaps in the 17 games he played, including playoffs.

Sutton played plenty of free safety in Week 1. He was the primary nickel/slot cornerback come January, and he typically filled the role as outside cornerback in between.

“Cam Sutton is that type of guy for us — and he’s always been,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said last month while comparing Sutton to two-time NFL All-Pro defensive back Tyrann Mathieu. “He’s outside corner capable. He’s inside corner capable. He’s safety capable. Many weeks he does all three in one football game, and so it has good variation to what it is that we do. It makes us a tough nut to crack. And we’re appreciative of that versatility.”

Sutton always has been that versatile, plug-and-play chess piece in the Steelers’ secondary — it’s just that before 2021, he was doing it in a part-time role. Sutton played roughly a third of the Steelers’ snaps from the time he was a third-round pick in 2017 through the end of 2020, after which he hit free agency.

The Steelers re-signed Sutton soon after the market opened, choosing him over Mike Hilton (signed with Cincinnati) and Steven Nelson (released). Whether part of the reason Sutton chose to stay was a pledge from the team to have a bigger role, or that the $9 million over two years conveyed that implicitly, Sutton’s usage took off in 2021.

He rarely left the field aside from a groin injury that cost him a Week 5 game against Denver.

“This was my biggest workload, playing over 1,000 snaps,” Sutton said. “That’s important, and I’m capable of doing it. … There’s things you have to do and you have to just see things with repetition. Being able to do that this year at a consistent level down-in and down-out … just seeing how teams are schematically trying to attack us, you see tendencies on how teams attack you from the beginning to the latter part of the game.

“I just continue to keep myself and our team in good situations. I look forward to having outcomes we want. You know, studying the game has always been a big part of my craft. My development as a player is tied to that.”

Cameron Sutton on playing outside CB for a full season (mostly!) for the first time in the NFL

Said it made him feel like he was a rookie again pic.twitter.com/hmR9yqaPd2

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) January 20, 2022

According to Pro Football Focus, Sutton played 784 snaps this season at outside cornerback, 204 in the slot, 120 in “the box” (typically, hybrid linebacker in the dime) and 16 at free safety.

Sutton forced three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble) and had career-highs in total (52) and solo (44) tackles. Only two of 64 qualifying NFL cornerbacks per PFF were targeted at a lower rate (every 8.8 coverage snaps).

Tomlin recently recounted a dinner he and general manager Kevin Colbert had with Sutton during the draft process five years ago. Tomlin came away impressed with Sutton’s ability to handle anything coaches might ask of him.

“He was cut in (a positive) way from a football intellect standpoint,” Tomlin said. “(The Steelers could tell) he was going to have the ability to do those things and do them within the same game within the same drive. And that’s value.”

Starting in 2021 and moving forward, Sutton has been given the opportunity to bring that value on an every-snap basis. He enters next season — another contract year — not as a valuable spare part on the defense but as one of its most trusted veteran leaders.

“I know where I need to put my focus to and come ready to work,” Sutton said. “The grind doesn’t stop.

“I learn so much in the game. I’m in this thing to see where we can take this thing. I can’t wait to see where we go. I believe in myself and I feel like I’m on the right path.”

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