The Pittsburgh Steelers have taken a hit in their secondary.
The NFL has announced that veteran cornerback Cameron Sutton will be suspended eight games without pay for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Sutton will be eligible for reinstatement on Oct. 29, following Pittsburgh’s Week 8 game.
This was the result of an alleged domestic violence incident that took place in March, which caused the Detroit Lions to release Sutton after learning that a warrant was issued for his arrest.
#Steelers CB Cameron Sutton is suspended without pay for the first eight games of 2024 for violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. The NFL investigated the March incident involving Sutton and determined he violated the Personal Conduct Policy.
Sutton will be eligible for…
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 8, 2024
Pittsburgh will now need to rely very heavily on the likes of ascending cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and veteran newcomers Donte Jackson and Josiah Scott.
Sutton is a serviceable veteran who has more than 230 career tackles and nine career interceptions in his seven seasons.
In a division with Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson as opposing quarterbacks, each AFC North defense will need all the help it can get.
Losing a quality depth piece in Sutton, who rejoined Pittsburgh after one season with Detroit, will hurt for the first half of the season unless the Steelers decide to bring in another veteran.
Big names such as Xavien Howard, Stephon Gilmore and former Steelers player Patrick Peterson are among those available if Pittsburgh wanted to add someone.
It will be interesting to see how head coach Mike Tomlin handles things on defense moving forward. His secondary will need to be at its best if his team wants to contend for the playoffs and beyond.
