Former Detroit Lions cornerback Cameron Sutton could have a chance to return to the NFL after his arrest and subsequent release in Detroit.
The Lions released Sutton in March after police in Florida announced that he had an arrest warrant on a battery charge. Sutton turned himself in weeks later, after police had asked for help in locating him, and ESPN reported that he was being formally charged with misdemeanor battery.
But Sutton could return to the league after his release by the Lions. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan met with Sutton this week. Sutton started his career with the Steelers as a third-round draft pick in 2017.
Cameron Sutton Could Fill Need in Pittsburgh
SI.com’s Noah Strackbein noted that Sutton could fill a need in Pittsburgh’s secondary, though it is unclear if he could face punishment or potential suspension from the team.
“The Steelers could use another starting cornerback whether that’s on the outside or inside,” Strackbeing wrote. “With Donte Jackson and Joey Porter Jr. as their only two proven veterans right now, the team could be considering an old member of the team to return to fill their final gap on defense.”
Sutton appeared in 84 games with the Steelers, making 39 starts. He made eight interceptions during that time.
Lions Advised Cameron Sutton to Turn Himself In
Lions president Rod Wood told Fox 2 Sports on March 25 that Sutton was “actually in our building” and working with the strength coach when the team learned that he had an arrest warrant in Florida.
“We learned about the warrant the same time everybody else did, on social media,” Wood told Fox 2. “And we were able to speak to Cam because he was actually in our building. And we found him; he was down with our strength staff. He kind of showed up unexpectedly to work out. We were able to talk to him in person — not me but other members of the staff. And he left the building and we released him the next day and no one has spoken to him since.”
#Steelers and Cameron Sutton reportedly met in Pittsburgh to discuss potential reunionhttps://t.co/7KQj8O6FUP
— SteelerNation (@steelernation) April 27, 2024
The Lions had signed Sutton in 2023 to a three-year, $33 million contract as part of an overhaul of the struggling secondary. The Lions had bad luck on some of their other moves to address the secondary that year, with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley both being lost for long stretches to injury.
The Lions have addressed their secondary this offseason, re-signing Moseley and trading up in the first round of the NFL Draft on April 25 to select Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. Lions general manager Brad Holmes said Arnold had a good combination of skill and physical attributes.
“It doesn’t always match up that way,” he said, via The Associated Press. “I’m sure you’ve heard me say a million times I don’t care what position it is, we’re going to get the best player. It happened to match the best player and an area where we wanted to add one at some time. We didn’t know if we were going to be able to add one in the first round.”
