90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cameron Sutton, Cory Trice Jr., Jonathan Ward

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 offseason workouts ended in mid-June. Next up is the team’s annual training camp, which begins at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe in late July. Leading up to the Steelers’ training camp, we’ll be doing a series of posts looking at the team’s offseason roster, three players at a time. This Steelers roster preview, which also includes projections for each player, will be sorted alphabetically by last name for easy followability. This series is expected to include more than 90 players this year, as the team will be able to bring a total of 91 players with them during the offseason due to the team’s international designation being allowed.

The next players we’ll feature before the Steelers’ 2024 training camp are Cameron Sutton, Cory Trice Jr. and Jonathan Ward.

CB Cameron Sutton: The Steelers signed Sutton to a one-year veteran’s minimum deal in early June. The signing came shortly after Sutton’s contract was terminated by the Detroit Lions in March following a domestic violence incident involving the Steelers’ former third-round draft pick out of Tennessee in 2017.

After finally turning himself in in late March, Sutton was charged with assault and placed in the Batterers’ Intervention Program, a pre-trial diversion program, in early April. In early July, Sutton was suspended for the first eight games of the 2024 regular season for violating the NFL’s rules of conduct. He chose not to appeal his suspension.

Including last season’s playoffs with the Lions, Sutton, who signed a three-year, $33 million contract with Detroit in March 2023, recorded 73 total tackles, five for loss, one interception, nine passes defended and one forced fumble in 1,261 total defensive snaps played. Sutton played primarily on the outside with the Lions last season and earned a modest 49.0 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. PFF charged him with allowing 77 receptions for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns this season.

Sutton spent his first six NFL seasons with the Steelers, playing in 84 regular season games, starting 39 of them. He also played in three playoff games with the Steelers, starting two of them.

Outlook: Since Sutton will miss the first eight games of the 2024 regular season due to suspension, the Steelers’ Week 10 game against the Washington Commanders will likely be the first game he can play in. That assumes the team keeps him on the reserve/suspended list until then, and there’s no real reason to believe that won’t happen before training camp begins.

Sutton’s best position on the Steelers’ defense is likely the slot, and it will be interesting to see what the team does at that position over the first half of the regular season. If things go well in the first eight games, Sutton may not become an immediate contributor after serving his suspension. However, if things don’t go well for the Steelers at the slot cornerback position in the first eight games, Sutton could be pushed to that position full-time starting in Week 10.

Sutton has experience playing outside and in the slot. Still, he’s coming off a poor season with the Lions where he played mostly outside. The Steelers haven’t invested much in Sutton, so his half-season suspension makes it hard to predict how much he’ll ultimately play in 2024. He’s not the same player he was a few seasons ago when he was with the Steelers.

CB Cory Trice Jr.: Selected by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Purdue, Trice spent his entire rookie season on the team’s reserve/injured list after suffering a torn ACL during training camp last summer. Trice appeared to have had a good start to training camp at the time of his injury and quickly underwent surgery to repair the injury.

Trice played 30 games for Purdue over five seasons. During his college career, he recorded 90 total tackles, four for loss, five interceptions and 15 passes defensed. Trice, who was invited to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, stood just over 6’3″ and weighed 200 pounds in Indianapolis. He ran his 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds and also posted a short shuttle time of 4.06 seconds and a three-cone time of 6.70 seconds.

Trice appears to have slipped down the 2023 draft boards due to his injury history in college. He only played in two games in 2021 due to a knee injury.

Outlook: Trice has been back on the practice field all summer and the hope is that he will be ready to fully participate in practice once the Steelers’ 2024 training camp begins. Assuming that’s the case, Trice will look to pick up where he left off last year before suffering his knee injury.

The Steelers need depth at cornerback, and that means Trice should have an especially good chance of earning a spot on the 53-man roster this summer. If he shows in the offseason that he can contribute on special teams, that would go a long way toward securing a spot on the roster.

As preseason games begin, Trice will certainly be a player to keep an eye on, especially since he did not play in last year’s tryouts. If Trice is ultimately named to the 53-man roster this summer, he could see some action on defense over the course of the 2024 season. At a minimum, he would see plenty of action on special teams and potentially as a gunner and jammer on the punt coverage and return teams.

RB Jonathan Ward: The Steelers signed Ward to a one-year contract in May after he participated in the team’s annual rookie minicamp as a veteran tryout.

Ward was originally signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan in 2020 and has played in 42 regular season games without starting. During the 2023 season, Ward was a member of the Tennessee Titans and played in seven games, recording three carries for 11 yards.

Ward’s best season in the NFL so far was 2021. As a member of the Cardinals, he recorded nine carries for 33 yards and three receptions for 34 yards this season. Ward turns 27 in September. Since entering the NFL, he has played a total of 70 offensive snaps in the regular season and 553 more on special teams.

Outlook: The road to making the Steelers’ 53-man roster will be difficult for Ward this summer. Currently, the running back list is topped by Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson, who will also be the team’s kickoff returner. Barring injuries, the Steelers would essentially need to retain a fourth running back in addition to those three for Ward to have a chance of making the 53-man roster when the regular season begins.

Ward will also have plenty of competition this summer, as the Steelers’ offseason roster also includes several other running backs: La’Mical Perine, Aaron Shampklin and rookie Daijun Edwards, one of five undrafted free agents the team signed a few months ago. While Ward has only played 73 total offensive snaps in the NFL so far, he has played 548 more on special teams. While he’s not considered a special teams asset overall, he at least has experience in that phase of the game.

While Ward should receive some playing time in the preseason, assuming he stays on the roster that long, the reality for him this summer is that he will likely be competing for a spot on the practice squad for the start of the 2024 regular season.

Previous posts in this series:

90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Montravius ​​Adams, Kyle Allen, Spencer Anderson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Grayland Arnold, Calvin Austin III, Anthony Averett
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Kalon Barnes, Tyler Beach, Keeanu Benton
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Beanie Bishop Jr., Chris Boswell, Marquez Callaway
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jack Colletto, Dylan Cook, Jacob Copeland
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – James Daniels, Daijun Edwards, DeShon Elliott
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jalen Elliott, Troy Fautanu, Breiden Fehoko
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Justin Fields, Joey Fisher, Dez Fitzpatrick
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Minkah Fitzpatrick, Zach Frazier, Pat Freiermuth
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Thomas Graham Jr., Devery Hamilton, Anderson Hardy
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Najee Harris, Nate Herbig, Nick Herbig
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cameron Heyward, Connor Heyward, Alex Highsmith
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cole Holcomb, Donte Jackson, Van Jefferson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jaray Jenkins, Kyron Johnson, Cameron Johnston
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Broderick Jones, Damontae Kazee, Miles Killebrew
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Christian Kuntz, DeMarvin Leal, Logan Lee
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Isaiahh Loudermilk, Dean Lowry, Jonathan Marshall
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Ryan McCollum, Mason McCormick, Nate Meadors
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Scotty Miller, Jeremiah Moon, Dan Moore Jr.
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Tyler Murray, Larry Ogunjobi, Cordarrelle Patterson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – David Perales, La’Mical Perine, George Pickens
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Joey Porter Jr., Willington Previlon, MyCole Pruitt
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Patrick Queen, John Rhys Plumlee, Elandon Roberts
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Mark Robinson, Darius Rush, Josiah Scott
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Isaac Seumalo, Aaron Shampklin, Jacob Slade