Steelers' Cameron Sutton issued lengthy suspension

Sutton was the subject of an arrest warrant which was issued in March on the charge of domestic battery by strangulation. The 29-year-old was a member of the Lions at the time, having played in Detroit for 2023 on a $11M-per-year deal. One day after news of the warrant broke, the Lions released him.

More than three weeks after the warrant was issued (which was well before it became public knowledge), Sutton surrendered to police. The Lions had advised him to do so, and since then he has seen misdemeanor battery charges resolved by entering a pretrial diversion program. As past disciplinary decisions have shown, however, players do not need to be convicted of crimes to face punishment under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Shortly before the draft, Sutton took part in a free agent visit with the Steelers, the team with which he spent the first six years of his career. No further developments on that front took place for several weeks until, in June, the parties agreed to a one-year deal. Sutton was set to earn the veteran minimum on his Pittsburgh accord, so being suspended without pay for the campaign’s opening eight weeks will lower his earnings considerably.

A third-round pick in 2017, Sutton logged just two starts across his first three seasons in the league. The Tennessee alum has been a mainstay on his teams’ defenses since then, though, logging over 1,000 snaps in 2021 and doing so again during his single Lions campaign last season. That experience will give Pittsburgh a starting-caliber option in the secondary during the second half of the year.

The Steelers have Joey Porter Jr. in place as a perimeter starter, and the same will likely be true of trade acquisition Donte Jackson. Sutton has primarily played on the boundary during his career, but he has experience in the slot and could find himself there upon returning to Pittsburgh’s lineup once his suspension has been served. A depth addition this summer could now be on the team’s radar knowing they will be shorthanded in the secondary, however.

The Steelers’ bye week falls on Week 9, meaning the earliest point at which Sutton could make his debut would be during the team’s Week 10 matchup against the Commanders.