Tim Benz: More money, more responsibility, but Steelers' Cameron Sutton is still moving around so others can flash

Even as he ascends the Steelers depth chart at cornerback, Cameron Sutton’s role may not be changing all that much.

For now, he’s still the guy who plays in the secondary wherever he’s asked based on whoever else is on the field at a given time.

That’s not exactly untraveled terrain for Sutton. As TribLive’s Chris Adamski outlined in March, Pro Football Focus data from last season showed Sutton played “271 snaps as the slot cornerback, 154 snaps as an outside corner, 86 snaps in the box (dime DB/hybrid linebacker), 26 snaps as a free safety and 12 on the line of scrimmage.”

But a year ago, Sutton was fourth on the depth chart at corner behind Joe Haden, Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton. He was versatile because he had to be, in order to grab reps whenever and wherever he could.

Now Hilton and Nelson are gone. So the presumption was that Sutton, who signed a two-year, $9 million contract this offseason, would be anchored into one of those spots, leaving a host of other inexperienced candidates to fill the other vacancies in the secondary.

In a way, that’s still going to be the case. But it sounds like the decision-making process involving how to move the chess pieces is going to be less about where Sutton plays the best and more about who can emerge as the most capable in the remaining spots, with Sutton once again bouncing around to wherever he’s needed. He’ll just be doing it more often and at a higher rate of pay.

That’s certainly the approach secondary coach Teryl Austin laid out for the media at this week’s minicamp. Austin said Sutton has been working almost exclusively outside at cornerback — opposite Haden in Nelson’s old spot — so coaches could better gauge who might have a future filling Hilton’s shoes inside.

“I know Cam can play inside,” Austin said Wednesday. “Right now, he is working outside, and we are letting those other guys work inside to see what we have. I think that’s the proper way to do it, to make sure we can evaluate and give guys plenty of opportunities to learn.

“If we don’t feel real comfortable with what we have, then we would address changes at that time. But I know for a fact that Cam would not need a lot of reps if he had to move inside and help us.”

In the wake of signing his contract, Sutton said moving around would be OK with him.

“I’m ready. It’s not something new. It’s not a shock to me,” Sutton said in March. “Whatever it entails throughout the year, it’s all about winning. … Playing inside (slot) and being able to move around, this is not a new thing.”

According to Haden, having to be responsible for the outside and slot positions is not an enviable task.

“There’s a lot more studying,” Haden said. “We have a lot of defenses, and outside cornerback, there is just a lot more in front of you. It’s different in how you determine when your motion is when you’re going over. There are so many different calls from blitzes. It’s just a lot.”

Haden said he had to play a little of both positions during his first two years in Cleveland but has been almost exclusively outside since. The 12th-year pro said he would “want no part” of bumping inside as Sutton does.

“It’s a different ball game on the inside,” Haden said. “There’s some little slot receivers and the route tree is totally different. Just timing and stuff like that.

“Cam is able to play both outside and inside at such a high level. … He’s a Swiss Army knife. He can do a little bit of everything.”

That’s good because it’s unclear if anyone is capable of taking on those duties as Hilton did and as Sutton can. Hilton was a corner who played with a tough, safety-like mentality.

“The most distinguishing trait to me in terms of playing inside is physicality — the willingness or ability to be physical — and play against bigger people in those close-quarter spaces. I think we all would agree that that was a distinguishing trait that Mike Hilton displayed,” coach Mike Tomlin said Wednesday. “I think that that’s going to be such a significant factor in determining who occupies that role for us: their ability to play physical, their ability to play in that box and be effective run players and blitzers.”

That’s why second-year safety Antoine Brooks Jr. is a possibility if he can prove capable of covering like a slot corner.

“His college resume indicates that he has capabilities in that area,” Tomlin said. “We’ve worked him there in the past. He’s had some success. He’ll be given an opportunity to continue to grow and develop and display those skills.”

Rookie Tre Norwood was drafted in the seventh round with a “Swiss Army knife” reputation. Fellow rookies Lamont Wade and Shakur Brown are also in the mix to replace Hilton. So is 27-year-old NFL journeyman Arthur Maulet.

Any of those results could certainly make life easier for Sutton. But the player among the young cornerbacks who seems to be generating the most buzz is James Pierre, who signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent last year. He had two interceptions Wednesday. However, at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Pierre said he has been working exclusively on the outside this spring.

“He’s one of those second-year guys that we all have high expectations for,” Tomlin said. “I think we’re looking for all of those second-year players who gained experience, and that guy gained a lot of experience last year. He didn’t play a lot of defense, but he had a helmet on every week, he was preparing every week, he was a critical component of our special teams unit, and that usually is an indication of the guys ready to proceed and advance.”

So if Pierre or Justin Layne are deemed to be the third-best corner on the team come September, don’t be surprised to see them getting a lot of reps outside with Sutton sliding back inside.

For Sutton, it’s up to him to decide if money can indeed buy him happiness. One thing is clear right now, though: It can’t buy him an easier job description just yet.