[Bobble]

Here's what my guy at Motor City Football has to say about the Sutton signing.

Ranked by PFF as a top-25 free agent, Sutton is a desirable player thanks to his experience and versatility. He started off more so a slot cornerback early into his career, but recently, has excelled as the Steelers top cornerback on the outside the last two seasons after re-signing on a 2-year deal worth $9 million back in 2021.

At 5’11, Sutton is not the tallest cornerback out there, but is quite athletic, and carries his man in coverage well across the middle of the field.

As for how this affects the Lions going forward, the size of Sutton’s deal, $33 million over three-years, is clearly starter money. I would expect Sutton continues to maintain a spot as an outside cornerback in Detroit, though his slot versatility is something to note as Detroit continues to build out its new secondary. As far as the Draft goes, to the extent that anyone wishes to try and glean something from this signing, Sutton looks far more like Devon Witherspoon as a player than Gonzalez, meaning this would likely nudge the Lions a bit more towards a true CB1 on the outside over another outside-inside 5’11 cornerback like Devon Witherspoon. Realistically though, that is likely reading too much into it, and Detroit’s options remain quite wide open.

A very good start for Brad Holmes, Ray Agnew, Dan Campbell, and Mike Disner landing a quality player at a quality price at a position of need. It should also be noted that Sutton now becomes the most expensive external signing that Brad Holmes has made to-date. Only the Lions re-signing of EDGE Romeo Okwara cost more, but again, that was a re-signing.