Joe Haden walked through the Steelers locker room Monday at a brisk pace, a hoodie pulled up over his head, as if to hide his identity from the assembled media.
That Haden was walking without a limp was a good sign for the Steelers.
Haden's hamstring injury, which knocked him out the fourth quarter of Sunday's 21-21 tie in Cleveland, isn't deemed serious. MRI results showed a minor strain that will make his status up in the air for Sunday's home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Beyond that, however, Haden should be OK.
The hoodie he was wearing Monday morning? Backup Cameron Sutton might have wanted to borrow that for a play or two in the tie against the Browns.
As would be expected, the Browns went after the second-year pro, as Rashard Higgins beat him for a 38-yard gain down the sideline. Then, 6-foot-4 Josh Gordon leaped over him on back-to-back plays for a 17-yard gain and a game-tying touchdown with 2:03 remaining in regulation.
Sutton might have wanted to disguise himself at that point. But he couldn't. So he kept playing.
And when the Browns went back to the well again after driving to the Pittsburgh 43 with 23 seconds remaining, it was Sutton who held his inside leverage against Gordon on a ball down the seam and intercepted it, essentially sending the game to overtime.
"They tested him,” free safety Sean Davis said. “That’s what happens in the NFL. He lost his first battle but came back and won the second one. That’s what’s expected of him. I’m confident in Cam Sutton.”
Sutton could face similar tests this week if Haden sits out. Kansas City's Tyreek Hill is one of the league's top deep threats, while the receiver opposite him, Sammy Watkins, is no slouch himself, averaging 15.8 yards per catch in his career. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has a big arm and isn't afraid to use it.
That's OK with Sutton. He's been targeted before. Forced into action last season when Haden was out with a broken leg, his first NFL action just a couple of weeks after being activated from IR, Sutton was lining up one-on-one against Cincinnati's A.J. Green. A couple of weeks later, he made his first -- and only -- career start against New England and quarterback Tom Brady.
“You expect the ball to come to you every play,” Sutton said. “It’s not just because I’m a backup cornerback or come in the game at a certain point in time. I feel like everyone on the field should expect the ball to come their way if you want to make plays. When you’re out there, you have to expect it.”
Sutton, a third-round pick in 2017, spent the first 11 weeks of last season on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury suffered in the preseason. But he earned the respect of the coaching staff and his teammates by keeping his head in the playbook and showing quickly after his return he could contribute.
He didn't mope around because he was hurt. He continued to work. Sutton wasn't about to mope around Sunday, either, despite allowing a game-tying score.
“He’s been in big-time situations,” said cornerback Artie Burns. “That Cincinnati game, he came in and played real good against (Green). That was a big-time game. He’s been in big-time games, and he stood tall with a pick when they tried to keep going at him Sunday. We have confidence in him.”