When the Steelers went into the regular season in 2016, they did so with Sean Davis as their slot or nickel corner before giving up on that a few weeks into the season.
Last year, the team's plan was to use former second-round pick Senquez Golson or even third-round pick Cameron Sutton in the slot as the team headed to training camp. But Golson suffered a season-ending injury for the second consecutive season and Sutton had a serious hamstring injury that delayed his development.
That opened the door for Mike Hilton, who had been released by two other teams the previous season, to step up to fill that spot. Now, even with Hilton returning after a strong season, the team also seems intent on having Sutton in the mix, as well.
Both could see time there at different points from game to game -- or even in the same game, starting with Sunday's regular season opener in Cleveland.
"For sure," Hilton told me this week. "We face different types of receivers. They have a good group, so we're going to try to match up against them and win our one-on-ones."
Part of the reason for that is Hilton's diminutive size. He's listed at 5-foot-9, 184 pounds -- which might be a slight exaggeration. Regardless, he's the smallest player in the Steelers' locker room.
And despite playing bigger than his size and not allowing that to affect his play, the Steelers do have some concerns when facing some of the larger slot receivers or even tight ends around the league.
For example, JuJu Smith-Schuster, who worked out of the slot a lot for the Steelers last season, is 6-foot-1, 215 pounds.
That's where Sutton comes into play. At 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, he's got a little more size to match up with some bigger players inside. And, by the way, Sutton performed well enough throughout the offseason -- when he was lined up inside, outside and even at safety at times -- that the Steelers want to get him on the field.
"It can change every week," said Sutton of both the nickel corner spot and where he might be asked to line up. "It's kind of what's best for the week, really. It's good to know everything and be involved in every position. It's good to be able to do that because when you are put in different positions, it doesn't take you long to catch up or get ready to play. I think it's good that I'm able to move around and get the reps everywhere."
Sutton had to play the nickel spot the past few weeks with Hilton out of action with a leg injury suffered just prior to the team's second preseason game at Green Bay.
The Steelers had already been looking at Sutton in that spot even with Hilton healthy, getting Hilton some time at free safety at training camp, but with Hilton out, Sutton got plenty of slot reps.
"You're involved a lot more," Sutton told me of the challenge of playing there. "And you don't have the sideline and certain parts of the field you can use to your advantage. You're exposed to a lot more, more in open grass. You've just got to hone in on your fundamentals and play the defense."
Both could also see the field in the slot at the same time if and when the Steelers unveil their dollar defense -- with seven defensive backs -- in a game. Hilton and Sutton both play the slot in that defense, with Artie Burns and Joe Haden on the outside and three safeties behind them.
But they had to get Hilton healthy again first before they could use it.
"I feel good," he told me. "Missing those preseason games hurt because I don't feel I have my football rhythm right now. But I'm ready to go.
"I just go out there and do what the coaches tell me. It's up to them. If Cam does it, I'm not going to get upset. I missed some time. But I'll be ready to go."
MORE STEELERS
• When it was revealed that the Steelers had converted a portion of defensive lineman Cam Heyward's salary into signing bonus this year, many automatically assumed that meant the team was freeing up cap space to make a free agent signing. That was the wrong assumption. The move was actually made last week to get the team under the salary cap. Heyward's restructure freed up $5.2 million, which got the Steelers a little over $4 million under the cap going into the season. That means the Steelers restructured $33 million in cap space this year, according to a team source, just to get to that point. -- Lolley
• The Steelers aren't going to release Le'Veon Bell. It's just not going to happen. That would give the running back exactly what he wants -- to become a free agent. The Steelers are not a team that caves in to the demands of a player. And, as one source told me, the Steelers are losing nothing right now. Bell's contract was already factored in under the cap. And, in fact, the Steelers are gaining money for next year. Remember, teams are permitted to roll unused cap space into the next season and the Steelers pick up just over $850,000 every Monday after Bell sits out a game. -- Lolley
• Even some Steelers players were surprised the team kept six safeties on the roster when Nat Berhe was added back to the roster on Monday. One reason Berhe was released instead of Jordan Dangerfield and rookie Marcus Allen is because he's a vested veteran and he has the right of refusal if claimed by another team. The Steelers didn't want to expose Ola Adeniyi to waivers but knew he was dealing with a hamstring injury. They also weren't sure tight end Xavier Grimble would be ready to play this week -- he is. But they knew they would need to put someone on injured reserve, so they placed Berhe on waivers and told him to refuse any claims. He would be brought back. -- Lolley
• That said, expect one of those safeties to be released Friday. The Steelers need to add an outside linebacker since they only have three on the roster. Look for Farrington Huguenin to be signed off the practice squad. But the Steelers also could be interested in veteran John Simon, released by Indianapolis earlier this week. But they would wait to sign him until next week. Any vested veteran signed who is on the roster for Week 1 would have his entire salary count against the salary cap, even if he is waived in, say, Week 3. If the veteran is signed after Week 1, the only portion of his salary that counts against the cap is the time spent on the roster. -- Lolley
• Bud Dupree isn't the type to acknowledge paying attention to criticism. But in a talk we had this week, he sounded keenly aware that he'll need to perform this year -- not just with hurries or pressures, but with sacks and tackles for losses -- at a level he hasn't yet shown with any consistency. "They've switched my side, put me where I like being, and they told me to get after it," Dupree told me. "Now it's on me. This has to be my year." -- Dejan Kovacevic
PIRATES
• Kimera Bartee, the club's first base and outfielders coach, takes responsibility for Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco. Bartee's known both since they were teenagers in the Dominican Republic, so he can tell whenever either one may be losing focus during the long season. Bartee will even get them out on the field early if he spots any of those tendencies; however, he acknowledged there have been lapses in judgement again this season.
He emphasized the growth by both players — that sentiment was echoed to me by people throughout the organization — but he's still had to "check 'em," whenever a mistake occurs. "That's on me. If it happens and it affects the game, that's on me, not them," Bartee told me. -- Lance Lysowski at PNC Park
• No player I spoke to is happy about David Freese being traded. They all wanted him to be part of a possible playoff run next season, and one player I spoke with called him the catalyst for that 11-game winning streak in July. On the other hand, they're all thrilled Freese is getting the chance with a talented club like the Dodgers. -- Lysowski
• Speaking of former teammates, they're also keeping a watchful eye on what Tyler Glasnow is doing in Tampa. For all of Glasnow's faults, he did become a valued member of that clubhouse this season. Well-liked by all. -- Lysowski
• Elias Diaz has no plans to take the rest of the season off, despite the medical staff playing it cautious with his hamstring. Expect him to get back at some point this month, as he wants to ready himself for a second full season in the big leagues. -- Lysowski
• Pablo Reyes, the infielder who was among the Pirates' September callups this week, was signed by Rene Gayo, the former Latin American scouting director, for a $90,000 bonus in 2012. He was 19 years old, playing on a sandlot in the Dominican Republic. On Tuesday night, when Reyes made his first big-league start, half of the Pirates' position players -- Reyes, Marte, Polanco, Jose Osuna -- were originally signed by Gayo, not one of them costing more than $250,000 to sign. And it could have been more, had Diaz been healthy. If it weren't for Gayo propping up the farm system almost singlehandedly for a decade -- and bear in mind international acquisitions in baseball occur outside the draft, which is only for the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico -- this front office's massive drafting failures would have been exposed many years earlier. -- DK
PENGUINS
• Well, at least Pittsburgh's hockey team won't have to worry about training-camp absences. Wednesday afternoon at the Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, 14 -- yes, 14 -- Penguins, including the captain, Sidney Crosby, were on the ice for an informal practice nine days before training camp is even set to begin.
Jake Guentzel, Patric Hornqvist, Chad Ruhwedel, Carl Hagelin, Jamie Oleksiak, Jack Johnson, Olli Maatta, Matt Cullen, Brian Dumoulin, Derick Brassard, Zach Aston-Reese, Dominik Simon, Juuso Riikola and Crosby are all getting a head start on the season. They aren't used to having this much time off. Hornqvist served as the de facto coach Wednesday, drawing up drills on the white board behind the bench. He says he would not be a good coach. He just wants to be a player. But, he does think the extra time off this summer could come in handy.
"Obviously, there’s more time to rest and to recover and get in shape,” Hornqvist said. “Overall, it’s a good thing. You want to play into June, but it is what it is. We couldn’t do it, so, now, I hope everybody took the time to rest, get back at it and really have a longer time to build up their body for a long season.” -- Cody Tucker
• Who doesn't like a good comeback story? Well, there are a couple of players who were under the same roof in Cranberry this week who have a story to tell.
Let's start with Jordy Bellerive, the 19-year-old who earned a three-year entry deal from Jim Rutherford last September after putting up seven points in three games at the Prospect's Challenge in Buffalo, N.Y. This past June, Bellerive was involved in a freak fire-pit accident, suffering burns to his face, torso, legs and, especially his hands. Doctors told him he would likely miss a year of hockey. Initially, his career was very much in jeopardy altogether. Thursday, he was on the ice prepping for this year's version of the Prospect's Challenge, which will begin today and go through Monday.
“It feels awesome,” Bellerive said. “Obviously, expectations weren’t to be here originally … So, to be back this early and playing again, I’m pretty fortunate.”
Then, there's Zach Aston-Reese. You all recall what happened to him in Game 3 of last year's Eastern Conference semifinals, taking a Tom Wilson shoulder to the face, leaving him with a broken jaw and a severe concussion. Well, he's back, too. He says he is determined to make this roster and holds no ill will toward Wilson for the hit that prematurely ended his season.
“In my mind, I believe I belong here,” he said, adding that it’s a “yes and a no” that he feels he already has a roster spot locked up. “It’s one of those things that was said at the end of last season — the mindset I’d rather have — you have to earn a spot here.” -- Tucker
• I can't say enough about how impressed I was with Sidney Crosby. I know, I know ... he's one of the best players in the world. But, it's different when you see it firsthand for the first time. Not only was he absolutely stunning to watch churn around the rink Wednesday afternoon, he was delivering passes to tape all over the ice, backchecking and making things look entirely too easy, especially in early September. The biggest takeaway for me was the permanent smile on his face, how friendly he was and the respect he commands.
This quote really says it all.
DK asked Brassard why so many players were already in town, let alone practicing.
“Because it’s close to camp,” as Brassard would tell me before a nod toward the stall with No. 87, “and because he’s here.”
Incredible stuff. About the only red flag I heard was that he is still thinking about drafting Le'Veon Bell to his fantasy football team. Might want to rethink that one, Sid. -- Tucker
• Jack Johnson's open willingness, as he's told our site, to play the right side on defense could make for a far smoother segue for Mike Sullivan and Jacques Martin once camp opens. If he can man that side well enough, Jamie Oleksiak can stay on the left and carve out a solid, physical third pairing. In a camp where several players might be switching out of standard position, one less headache will be welcome. -- DK
• Olli Maatta missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime Finnish hockey affair in his home country last month, a charity game organized by Teemu Selanne, Patrik Laine and other stars past and present. Among players invited, only Maatta and the Bruins' Tuukka Rask were unable to attend. Maatta told me he "really hated not being able to go" but explained that he'd already begun training in London, Ontario -- home of his old OHL team and host family, with whom he remains close -- and couldn't leap oceans to make it. "It looks like it was amazing," he said. "There's so much to be proud of in Finnish hockey." -- DK
• On the subject of Finns, don't be surprised if Juuso Riikola makes an immediate splash in camp. He's new to North America, but he showed this week he's got the wheels to be a highly mobile NHL defenseman, and he's got the smoothness with the puck to push possession. More than that, though, he'll clearly have little trouble assimilating. His English is seamless, and he's outwardly approachable. "He's really good," Maatta was telling me. "He'll fit right in. You'll see." -- DK
PITT
• At his Thursday press briefing, Pat Narduzzi declined to give any update on the status of tackle Alex Bookser or cornerback Dane Jackson, both of whom were held out of Saturday’s win over Albany. And with no open practices this week, the only indicator of their health for the media is seeing them walking around the Rooney Complex. Neither is showing any sign of a limp, and with no walking boots, crutches or slings of note Thursday, it would appear at an unscientific glance their absences last week truly were precautionary. — Matt Grubba
• Mike Ditka will speak to the Pitt football team ahead of Saturday’s game against Penn State. Also, because of the 8 p.m. kickoff, the players will be staying in a hotel Friday night, as per usual, but instead of going straight to Heinz Field, they will then head to the Rooney Complex for film, lunch and time to relax before cranking things up and heading to the stadium. — Grubba
• Six hours before the Pitt-Penn State football battle Saturday, the 13th-ranked Pitt volleyball team will host No. 12 Washington at Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers are undefeated at 6-0 and have their highest national ranking in program history. Naturally, that means this is the first top-15 volleyball matchup in Field House history. The last time there was that good a matchup in that building in any sport? That would be when Pitt’s wrestling team was ranked 11th and fell to No. 15 Lehigh, 19-12, on Nov. 15, 2014. — Grubba