Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton has been suspended for eight games without pay for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
A third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Sutton had an arrest warrant issued for him regarding an alleged domestic violence incident back in March.
According to TMZ, police claimed that Sutton evaded them for weeks before eventually turning himself in. The cornerback was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery, but he entered a pretrial diversion program to close out the case in April.
Sutton began his career with the Steelers, playing with them from the 2017 campaign through the 2022 campaign (six seasons). He then signed a three-year, $33 million, with $22.5 million guaranteed ahead of the 2023 season with the Detroit Lions.
The veteran corner lasted just one season in Detroit, as the Lions released him after the warrant was issued for his arrest. That allowed Sutton to eventually sign with the Steelers later in the offseason.
Sutton started all 17 games during the regular season for the Lions in 2023, recording a career-high 65 tackles and picking off one pass. He also appeared in the three playoff games on Detroit’s run to the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers.
The 29-year-old had eight tackles, one tackle for loss and three passes defended in the playoffs.
Over the first four seasons of his career, Sutton started just eight total games with Pittsburgh, but he became an important fixture on the defense in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, starting 31 of the 32 games that he appeared in.
It’s possible that the Steelers are more willing to give Sutton a second chance since he spent so much time with the organization earlier in his career. However, they’ll also have to find a way to make due without him early on in the 2024 campaign.
Pittsburgh made the playoffs last season, but it lost to the Buffalo Bills in the first round. Still, it was an impressive feat considering that quarterback Kenny Pickett (now with the Philadelphia Eagles) went down with an injury, forcing Mitchell Trubisky and eventually Mason Rudolph under center for Pittsburgh.
Sutton will look to make the most of his second chance and help the Steelers make the playoffs again in the 2024 campaign.
He’ll be first eligible to be reinstated for action Oct. 29 following the Steelers’ Week 8 game against the New York Giants.
