The Steelers are less than a week away from entering the off-season phase of off-season, and that is already clear: they will not be able to pay much.
If you are looking for a word that rhymes with a lot (and it probably isn’t), slot would be a good option. Slot in terms of football generally refers to the third receiver or cornerback on the field at any given time.
In terms of cornerbacks, Mike Hilton is one of the best slot machines in the NFL. Ole Miss’s uncapped free agent dazzled the Steelers so much during the 2017 training camp that he not only made the final squad, but was named his starting corner.
Hilton hasn’t disappointed, and he hasn’t really disappointed since.
However, despite quickly emerging as one of the best slot machines in the business, Hilton had very little contract leverage during the first four years of his career – including a season ago, when he was a restricted free agent.
All of that changes on Wednesday, when Hilton becomes an unrestricted free agent, free to offer his services to the best bidder. Steelers may still close a deal with him before Wednesday, but that probably won’t happen, considering how valuable Hilton’s numbers are in the open market and how limited Pittsburgh’s financial situation is.
An alternative would be Cameron Sutton, a third-round pick from Tennessee, who appears to be the absolute favorite to replace Hilton, but in a much more friendly business for the team. But what if things are not as clear as they seem with Sutton? Let’s face it, teams spend too much on free agency all the time. I don’t think this is a big secret. In addition, time often plays an important role in the type of deal a player can negotiate for himself, once he becomes unrestricted. Sutton did not have a Pro Bowl season in 2020, but he had the best of his career.
In addition, it offers position flexibility and, in addition to playing the slot machine, Sutton can also play outside and safely.
Don’t be surprised if Sutton profits from a better deal than anyone could have imagined.
That takes me to Sean Davis, yes, him. Is it so crazy to think that it could be a cheap, but mostly effective alternative to overspending for Hilton or Sutton?
Davis came to the NFL in 2016 with the ability to play corner and safety, and although his most effective position seemed to be safety, he started his debut season as the Steelers’ starting corner. Davis finally moved to a safe place before finding a real home as a safe place. Unfortunately for Davis, he was injured early in the 2019 season and Pittsburgh decided to switch to an All-Pro in the free security position: Minkah Fitzpatrick.
With the letter clearly on the wall, Davis signed a free agent contract with Washington last spring. Unfortunately, that deal didn’t catch on. Davis was launched last summer and was back with the Steelers for the 2020 campaign.
So, what happened to Davis in Washington? Who knows, but you can ask the same thing about BJ Finney in Seattle. Years ago, you could have asked that question about Larry Foote’s Detroit season or about Willie Gay’s brief stint with the Cardinals.
Sometimes a player excels in one organization, but not in another. Both Foote and Gay returned to Pittsburgh after leaving as free agents and continued to be productive players.
Were they superstars? No, but the Steelers didn’t need them to exist. As for Davis, Pittsburgh doesn’t need him to be one of the best slot machines in the NFL. Considering the problems with the Steelers’ salary cap, I think they would be happy if he were just reliable.
And it doesn’t have to be for the next half decade, just long enough to take the Steelers to 2021 without compromising what still promises to be a dynamic and dominant defense.
After that, the situation of the Steelers cover tends to get much better, and they can then fill the position of the corner of the slot with someone with more potential. As far as we know, they can find that player somewhere in the NFL’s 2021 Draft, and he can use his rookie season to hone his skills and prepare to be a future starter.
Ah yes, Davis also offers position flexibility and has 42 career starts combined in strong and free security positions.
Call me crazy, but if they don’t work things out with Mike Hilton (and chances are great that they do) and if they don’t get a friendly deal with Cam Sutton (and it wouldn’t be a total shock if someone overpaid) for him), I think Sean Davis could be a cheap and effective alternative for them in 2021.