Moving around defense doesn't faze Steelers' versatile Sutton

He has as many NFL seasons as he has starts. So why is Cameron Sutton viewed as being so valuable to the Pittsburgh Steelers defense?

Perhaps because the number of positions he plays is greater than number of his seasons or starts.

“You got to respect it,” teammate Terrell Edmunds said of Sutton on Monday. “He can play any position. It’s a lot of learning, but he’s a smart guy. You can see by the way he plays,

“You can put him anywhere. … We’re definitely thankful to have him on the team.”

Sutton was credited with his fourth career start during Sunday’s 36-10 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. He also has started a game each in 2017 and ‘18. But Sunday was the fourth consecutive game in which he has played more than 50% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps. He had done that in only two prior games during three-plus seasons since the club took him with a 2017 third-round pick.

Sutton has filled the “starting” role at nickel cornerback since Mike Hilton suffered a shoulder injury during a game last month. But that doesn’t mean that is the only place Sutton has played.

Until this past week, the Steelers’ plan for when they went to six defensive backs typically was to put Sutton back as a dime/hybrid linebacker, the spot he filled most often the first 4 ½ games of this season.

But Steelers coaches also have experimented with Sutton as more of a traditional safety. And he also has been asked at times to fill in as an outside cornerback — most notably when, as a rookie, he played a career-high 97% of the snaps during a December game against mighty New England because of an injury to Joe Haden.

“(Sutton) is a big key for us,” Edmunds said, “because when you have guys go down, we know we can just plug him in.”

Sutton has forced a fumble during each of the past three games. Over the past 21 seasons, there have been only eight longer forced-fumble streaks in the league.

In the five games since Hilton went down, Sutton also has 17 tackles, an interception, a sack, two tackles for loss and a pass defended.

“It feels really good just being able to control a lot of situations down in and down out, having control of the middle of the field,” Sutton said.” … I feel like in those critical situations especially, I feel like that starts with me.”

Sutton’s four-year entry contract expires at the end of this season. With more than $50 million invested in outside cornerbacks Haden and Steven Nelson and Hilton also a free agent, the Steelers are faced with some interesting decisions about what to do with their secondary.

Sutton also might have other suitors that peg him for a particular role — or perhaps willing to pay a premium for his flexibility.

There is a school of thought, though, that Sutton’s jack-of-all-trades-but-master-of-none resume is costing him. He isn’t buying it.

“I mean, what’s more special than being versatile?” Sutton asked rhetorically. “I never want to just be a stationary guy. I’m a moving target. I’m not going to just let you stand there and shoot at me. That’s just my style of game, being versatile, being able to move from outside to inside, being able to place safety and come down, being able to play dime, being able to play nickel, whatever it takes to be on the field and be around the ball.”

Sutton laughed. He has faced similar questions throughout his Steelers tenure.

“Everyone always talks about, ‘Do you want to keep movin’ around? Do you want to (this or that)?’ I just want to play. I just want to ‘ball.’ That’s it. So … I’m not worried about none of that.”

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