The Detroit Lions wasted no time getting an agreement in free agency’s legal tampering period, connecting with cornerback Cameron Sutton on a three-year deal.
Sutton coming into the mix has been big news, and represents a major fix for the Lions at a very important position on the field. That is so much the case that it has earned a flawless ranking from the experts.
Bleacher Report is grading all moves of free agency as they come in, and writer Gary Davenport was extra-impressed with Detroit’s move to add Sutton to a very needy secondary. That was so much so that he gave the move an ‘A’ grade.
As he wrote
“The 28-year-old Sutton, who spent the first six seasons of his career in Pittsburgh, was excellent in coverage last year. He surrendered only a 65.3 passer rating and a 47.9 completion percentage. Sutton might not be a true shutdown corner, but he’s no slouch in coverage. He also has experience playing both in the slot and on the boundary. This is a reasonable contract for a solid player,” Davenport wrote in the piece.
Sutton coming into the mix gives the Lions a quality young player to work with in the secondary who has good experience on his side. To that end, the grade is a win for Detroit and Sutton as well.
It’s a good start for the Lions as they get free agency going during the 2023 offseason.
Cameron Sutton Fills Cornerback Need for Lions
In terms of why the Lions moved on Sutton, the decision was likely easy in the end. Detroit needs help on the back end after a very ugly season in 2022 with regards to pass defense.
Detroit finished 30th in pass defense in 2022, allowing 26 touchdowns and over 245 yards per-game on average. Worse, they allowed a total of 4,179 yards through the air.
Enter Sutton, who has been sticky on the back end in Pittsburgh. With the steelers, he allowed just 32 receptions as NFL Next Gen Stats tweeted. By the other account, the Lions themselves allowed the highest CPOE in 2022.
Cameron Sutton allowed just 32 receptions on 72 targets in 2022. His 44.4% completion percentage allowed was tied for the 4th-lowest in a season since 2016 (min. 50 targets).
Sutton will join a Lions secondary that allowed the highest CPOE (+1.5%) in the NFL in 2022. …read more
Source:: Heavy.com