Cornerback Cam Sutton won’t be available to help the Pittsburgh Steelers win a regular season game until Week 10, about to serve an eight-game suspension followed by the team’s Week 9 bye. Despite that, the Steelers don’t plan to lessen Sutton’s workload even as they search for his Week 1 replacement.
Speaking with reporters during his opening press conference of training camp, Mike Tomlin said the team will proceed as normal with Sutton’s reps.
“His suspension has no bearing on his work in this environment,” Tomlin said via the team’s YouTube channel.
Sutton was suspended for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after fleeing police and being arrested on domestic battery charges in the offseason. While Sutton got his charges reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor and entered a pretrial diversion program that will avoid jail time, the league still handed a heavy punishment for his actions. Sutton isn’t appealing the suspension, meaning he won’t see regular season action until Nov. 10 against the Washington Commanders.
However, NFL rules allow Cam Sutton to practice fully with the team throughout training camp and preseason. He won’t be barred from the facility until roster cutdowns on Aug. 27, when he will be placed on the Reserve/Suspended list. After Week 4, he’ll be permitted to return to the team building for meetings and weight lifting, and two weeks after his suspension, he’ll be allowed to practice with the team.
Presumably, Sutton will work first-team slot corner throughout training camp, or at least receive partial reps. During his first stint with the team, Sutton began playing slot corner and in dime packages until bumping outside in 2022.
While he’ll receive plenty of reps this summer, the team will have to find his replacement during his absence. Competing for the role will be veterans Josiah Scott and Grayland Arnold, along with rookie Beanie Bishop Jr. and the inexperienced Thomas Graham Jr. If the slot battle is conducted anything like last summer, the team will rotate daily at the position before landing on a name. Or names, plural, as the team has routinely done since losing Mike Hilton for 2021.