Steelers Met With Former CB Cam Sutton, Accused of Domestic Assault

The Pittsburgh Steelers met with former cornerback Cam Sutton in Pittsburgh last week, according to a report by Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Sutton reportedly met with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan, presumptively about a potential return to Pittsburgh.

The 29-year-old cornerback was released by the Detroit Lions amid a lengthy police manhunt after he was charged with domestic assault. The Hillsborough County (Fla.) Sheriff’s department announced on March 20 that they were searching for Sutton. The Lions released him the next day. Sutton turned himself in on March 31.

Sutton was wanted on a charge of domestic battery by strangulation, defined in the Florida statutes as when a person “knowingly and intentionally, against the will of another, impedes the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of a family or household member or of a person with whom he or she is in a dating relationship, so as to create a risk of or cause great bodily harm by applying pressure on the throat or neck of the other person or by blocking the nose or mouth of the other person.” It is a third-degree felony.

After a preliminary hearing, Sutton was released on his own recognizance — meaning without bond — and the charges were reduced to one misdemeanor count of domestic battery. An arraignment is scheduled for that charge on Monday.

When the Lions released Sutton, they voided the remaining two seasons of his three-year, $33 million contract and he became a free agent eligible to sign with any team.

Sutton will likely face NFL discipline regardless of the result of the legal process. NFL policies do not require someone to be legally found guilty in order for the league’s discipline process to kick in, and the NFL will investigate Sutton concurrently with the courts. If Sutton is found guilty of domestic battery, he likely faces at least a six-game suspension, without pay.

The Steelers could be looking to bring Sutton back into the fold after releasing veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson this offseason. They have a need for a slot receiver that has gone unresolved through the first two days of the 2024 NFL Draft.