ESPN suggests Steelers should release 3 specific players to keep one key veteran
ESPN's Bill Barnwell pointed out a couple of moves that each NFL team needs to make this offseason and he made a suggestion for the Pittsburgh Steelers that would involve keeping one veteran and saying goodbye to three specific players. Barnwell identified cornerback Cam Sutton as a player that Pittsburgh needs to re-sign this offseason. […]
ESPN's Bill Barnwell pointed out a couple of moves that each NFL team needs to make this offseason and he made a suggestion for the Pittsburgh Steelers that would involve keeping one veteran and saying goodbye to three specific players.
Barnwell identified cornerback Cam Sutton as a player that Pittsburgh needs to re-sign this offseason.
And he thinks they need to release cornerbacks William Jackson III and Ahkello Witherspoon and quarterback Mitch Trubisky to create cap space to re-sign Sutton.
Barnwell noted that releasing those three players could create more than $24 million in cap space.
With Pittsburgh essentially at the salary cap, it can create space by moving on from cornerbacks William Jackson III and Ahkello Witherspoon, along with quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Those three cuts would create a little more than $24 million in space.
I'd like to see the Steelers use those savings to bring back Sutton, their top corner from a year ago. He is a 2017 third-round pick who only broke into the starting lineup for good during his fifth year with the team, but 2022 was his best season. He allowed a 56.7 passer rating as the nearest defender in coverage at cornerback, per NFL Next Gen Stats, which ranked as the fifth-best mark for corners with at least 250 coverage snaps. The Steelers almost always played sides at corner, so Sutton wasn't chasing around opposing top wideouts, but the 28-year-old more than held his own on the right side of the defense.
I think Barnwell is spot-on with his suggestion.
Sutton has developed into a key player for the Steelers. The former Tennessee Vols standout is a dependable cornerback who knows the system and the culture in Pittsburgh. It would make zero sense to move on from him and try to replace him.
Releasing Jackson, Witherspoon, and Trubisky to keep Sutton is a no-brainer. Those are solid players, but they can be replaced significantly easier than replacing Sutton.
I'd be shocked if Sutton isn't in a Steelers uniform in 2023.
Featured image via Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
