Former Vols star set to face football's ultimate test in Patrick Mahomes
Former Tennessee Volunteers cornerback Cameron Sutton is no stranger to making big plays. On Thursday night, he'll face the toughest challenge of his professional life. Sutton is the starting cornerback for the Detroit Lions, who signed him this offseason to a 3 year, $33 million contract. Sutton spent his first six seasons in Pittsburgh, spending […]
Former Tennessee Volunteers cornerback Cameron Sutton is no stranger to making big plays. On Thursday night, he'll face the toughest challenge of his professional life.
Sutton is the starting cornerback for the Detroit Lions, who signed him this offseason to a 3 year, $33 million contract. Sutton spent his first six seasons in Pittsburgh, spending his first four seasons in a reserve role before becoming the Steelers' starting cornerback for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Tonight, in his new role with his new team, he'll be tasked with trying to slow down Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Super Bowl champion Chiefs' electric offense in front of a global audience. No small feat.
But Sutton has a thing about making plays on September 7. Tonight serves as the 10-year anniversary of when Sutton arrived with authority in the Tennessee football program. In Sutton's first-ever college game on September 7, 2013, he took an interception 36 yards to the house in Tennessee's 52-20 win over Western Kentucky.
Sutton would go on to start 45 games in his four years in Knoxville, where he set a school record for 37 passes defended in his career. He would later be drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Now, a decade removed from coming on the scene in Knoxville, he will look tonight to not just prove the Lions' faith in him was justified, but also continue that trajectory from reserve role to starter to a verified league star. And he may get plenty of attention on the outside tonight, with Mahomes possibly looking at his receivers more often. All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce is uncertain to play in the game due to a knee injury.
But it's September 7. For Sutton, there's no better day to make some big plays.
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Featured image via Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
