The Pittsburgh Steelers season abruptly ended in Kansas City last weekend, but that hasn't stopped Cam Sutton from continuing to excel in his craft on the football field. Sutton was once called a 'Swiss Army Knife,' but then transitioned into a starting cornerback in the National Football League. Cam did pretty well during his 2021 season as a starting cornerback, but the secondary would continue to give up a huge chunk of yards once or twice during every game of the 2021 season.
Cam Sutton on his first season as a starting CB: "It's like my first year in the league, almost," Sutton said. "I learned a lot, learned a bunch just from being able to actually see, really see the league for what it was."
Sutton says his first season as starting cornerback will only make him a better player on the football field and a better leader. He did end up starting all 16 games with the Steelers in 2021 and finished the season with 52 combined tackles, 8 assists, and 2 interceptions. That is not bad considering he had only started in 8 games over his 5 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but there is room for growth.
Sutton on his workload with the Steelers: "This has been my biggest year of work load, playing over 1,000 snaps, which I know I'm more than capable of doing," he said. "You're not going to be the best at something only seeing it one time, only a few times. You master those things within continuous repetition and seeing those things."
Seeing more of the football field allowed Cam Sutton to gain more knowledge from a professional football stand point. He says he is more situationally aware after seeing how teams scheme for the Pittsburgh Steelers too. Ultimately Sutton felt like a rookie going into his sixth season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
One of the biggest things that Sutton learned was that the NFL feels like a chess match when playing on the football field. He says teams generally have a foundational sense of what they want to do before each game and there is a sense of identity with each NFL team. Sometimes game plans can be more versatile while others are more simple, but ultimately each week can be different from the other.
Now that Cam Sutton has a grasp on how to play as a starter in the NFL he is looking to excel his game even further in 2022. The Steelers will need him in a big way because Joe Haden could be done with Pittsburgh unless the price is right during the offseason in 2022.
Only time will tell how long Sutton will be a starter with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I think ultimately he has shown growth over the years to prove he can continue to excel his game unlike other players. The Steelers will need to desperately shore up their secondary during the 2022 season, but that could take a back burner because there are other pressing needs like an offensive line and a new quarterback. Cam Sutton should be one of the most valuable assets on the secondary going into the 2022 season for the Steelers.