INDIANAPOLIS -- According to sources, the Steelers are seriously considering moving corner Cameron Sutton to free safety, a position he played at times in college. That and the news they also are interested in bringing J.J. Wilcox back in 2018 -- at a reduced cost -- could mean the team might not be in the market for a safety in this year's NFL Draft.
At least not, perhaps, in the early rounds, despite the fact they are expected to release starter Mike Mitchell before March 14 to free up $6.3 million in salary cap space. It also might mean they aren't interested in adding one in free agency, something that might not be possible if the team signs running back Le'Veon Bell to a long-term deal or uses the franchise tag on him before Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline.
Then again, with all of the nickel and dime packages played in the NFL now -- the Steelers are in one of those two around 70 percent of the time -- a rookie safety or corner could still be added.
But moving Sutton to safety would not necessarily mean the Steelers would need to add another cornerback early in this draft or in free agency, either. Sources say the team is very high on second-year corner Brian Allen, who was selected in the fifth round of last year's draft after the Steelers took Sutton in the third round.
"I can see that," SiriusXM NFL Insider Adam Caplan told me. "He's a size-speed guy who was a nice pick as a project for them last year."
When the Steelers selected Sutton (5-11, 188) in the third round of last year's draft, many assumed he would be added to the mix as a nickel cornerback early on, with the potential to challenge Ross Cockrell on the outside at some point. But Sutton dealt with a hamstring issue throughout training camp that eventually landed him in injured reserve.
That opened the door for more practice reps for Allen, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound former receiver at Utah who had transitioned to cornerback late in his college career. It also meant that when Joe Haden was signed at the end of the preseason after his release by Cleveland, the Steelers found themselves in a situation they had not seen in recent years -- with a glut of capable cornerbacks.
With his size and now a season of experience, the Steelers are intrigued by what Allen might become.
And cornerbacks his size just don't come along all that often. Of the 70 defensive backs who checked in Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine here at Lucas Oil Stadium, just four were 6-foot-2 or taller. None of those 70 players had anything even close to Allen's 34-inch-long arms, with only Florida State's Derwin James (33 inches) and Penn State's Chris Campbell (33 1/2) breaking 33 inches.
James is the top safety prospect in this draft and a likely top-10 pick, while Campbell is a 6-foot-1 cornerback expected to be a late-round pick.
But with the Steelers feeling they have a potential future starter on the outside in Allen and the emergence of Mike Hilton in the slot last season, the secondary begins to take on a different look if Sutton can make the transition to safety.
That move also would put the Steelers' best five defensive backs -- Haden, Artie Burns, Hilton, Sean Davis at free safety and Sutton -- on the field in nickel packages. Sutton showed plenty of promise in limited action after being activated off injured reserve, appearing in five games and making one start.
His first official NFL play came in a one-on-one matchup with Cincinnati's A.J. Green when he recorded a pass breakup.
But he also showed the ability to be sticky in coverage working from the slot, something that is being asked of more and more safeties in the league.
The question many will ask will be is he big enough to play the position? But when you look at free safeties around the league, size isn't as important as it was prior to 2010 when the league basically took the big hits over the middle out of the game.
Seattle's Earl Thomas is 5-10, 202 pounds. Rams free safety LaMarcus Joyner, one of the top free agents this year, is 5-8, 190 pounds.
Ball skills are much more important, as the Steelers want to continue to improve in that area. And Sutton, who had 30 career pass breakups and seven interceptions in college, has those.