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What Steelers analysts, fans are saying about Cameron Sutton joining Lions

Most Steelers fans and analysts believe the Lions got a smart, talented, versatile player for a fair price.

Pittsburgh Steelers v Cincinnati Bengals Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

The Detroit Lions made an early splash move in free agency by agreeing to terms with former Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton. Though the move cannot be official until Wednesday, that didn’t stop the internet from having a flurry of reactions to the Lions’ first big swing in free agency under general manager Brad Holmes.

First, Sutton’s agent seems understandably stoked by the deal.

But what did the rest of the public think of the move?

As a player, Sutton is coming off an impressive season—the best of his career for certain. Several different publications highlighted that through different advanced stats. First, from NextGenStats:

This graph charting similar statistics—yards allowed per route run and incompletions forced—highlights just how productive Sutton’s 2022 season was.

One aspect of Sutton’s game that many analysts are praising is his versatility, as the 28-year-old corner can fill multiple roles for the Lions.

That said, some did think the Lions paid a little extra for Sutton. The contract projections at both PFF and Spotrac were well under his $11 million average per year. Some analysts took issue with the slight overpay:

Reactions from the Steelers’ point of view

No one know Sutton better than the analysts and fans in Pittsburgh who have watched him play over the past several years. Here’s what they’re saying about him and the deal with the Lions.

It was honestly pretty darn hard to find a single Steelers fan or analyst who had anything bad to say about Sutton or the deal he’s agreed to with the Lions. That has to be a good sign.

Even former Lions quarterback Charlie Batch raved about Sutton’s football IQ—something Holmes and Campbell routinely reference to in press conferences as “FBI” or football intelligence.

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