Listed as cornerback, Cam Sutton fills variety of roles for Steelers defense

Fourteen players saw more defensive snaps for the Pittsburgh Steelers than Cameron Sutton last season.

A list that extends seemingly as long? The number of roles Sutton filled for what was one of the NFL’s better defenses in 2019.

The Steelers insist they are intent on reconciling those two phenomena regarding one of the team’s most versatile players.

“That is his best attribute, that he can play multiple positions for us,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. “We like that out of him, even though he’s not called a so-called starter.”

Despite no defined position, Cameron Sutton in right place to make plays for Steelers

(Via TribLive) https://t.co/2g15uF0SwS

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) October 18, 2019

Sutton is listed as a cornerback. According to Pro Football Focus, outside corner was the position where he played the most snaps in a single game (22 in Week 6). In the week he saw his most overall defensive snaps (51 in Week 10), the position where he lined up most frequently was hybrid linebacker (20).

But through the entire season, he played the most overall snaps (135) at nickel/slot corner.

Additionally, per PFF, Sutton was along the line of scrimmage in a pass-rushing role during six games but also lined up as far from the line of scrimmage as possible (free safety) in 10 games.

“Cam is a guy that … is very valuable because he can do all of the different things,” Steelers defensive backs coach Tom Bradley said. “We can put him anywhere, and he does a heck of a job and knows what he is doing.”

When covering the slot Cameron Sutton forced an NFL Passer Rating of 63.8

3rd among CBs

(min 100 cov snaps) pic.twitter.com/hZPCLMUf7a

— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) August 26, 2020

Sutton serves as the No. 3 outside cornerback, No. 1A nickel/slot DB and most-utilized option as the sixth defensive back when they use a package that requires that many. And when they do go “dime,” Sutton can be deployed at any secondary position, sometimes freeing up a teammate from his normal role to excel somewhere else and/or confuse the opposing quarterback.

“He is smart enough to play all the positions in the secondary,” Butler said, “and so he is valuable to us in that sense. And when somebody goes down, we will put him in and not have a big drop off. Just having him helps us quite a bit.”

Last season, Sutton had an interception, a sack, five passes defended and 16 tackles (two for loss). Per PFF, he ranked third among 52 NFL players who had at least 100 slot-coverage snaps in both opponent passer rating when targeted (63.8) and yards allowed per coverage snap (0.58).

Sutton twice started at outside cornerback, and for a stretch he has served as the Steelers’ No. 1 slot cornerback. Mostly, he’s settled into a role in the dime.

“His best position might just be versatility,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “I know that from a role standpoint he has embraced that with us. Cam is a guy that is outside corner capable, nickel capable, dime capable, safety capable. And, really, he displays that just about daily and within the same drills.”

But has his versatility worked against him? Mere months away from unrestricted free agency, could Sutton’s value be negatively impacted by the fact he never has held a permanent role nor been given an opportunity to display consistent proficiency at one?

Despite the clear respect they have for Sutton, Steelers coaches aren’t concerned with that as they plan for the 2020 season.

“He has a lot of versatility, a super smart guy,” Steelers senior defensive assistant/secondary Teryl Austin said. “I think we will just carve out his role as it goes during the season, and we will try to get him in there as many times as we can because he is a really good pass defender and he has a great feel for the pass game.

“As far as carving out a separate type of role, no, I don’t think so. I think we just give him a little bit more of what we did last year.”

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