CB Nelson pledges to speak up
Mindset applies on field — and off
Quiet and unassuming would be a perfectly accurate description of Steven Nelson during his first season with the Steelers. He carried that persona in the locker room after signing a rich free-agent contract last year, and he portrayed the same image on the field.
That’s about to change. Talking a little more on the field might help the Steelers defense get better, and talking off the field in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and the protests that have gripped the country is something he believes is important, too.
Nelson, a 5-foot-11, 194pound cornerback, did his job exceedingly well last season. Pro Football Focus ranked him among the NFL’s top corners in 2019, but when it came time to hand out the postseason accolades, Nelson was nowhere to be found. He didn’t make All-Pro or get voted into the Pro Bowl.
The main reason, Nelson believes, was his paltry interception total. While Joe Haden, his counterpart on the other side of the defense, made the Pro Bowl with five interceptions, Nelson managed just one.
“The interceptions and big plays, I was lacking in that area,” Nelson said Thursday. “It’s hard to go out there and say, ‘I’m going to get some interceptions.’ You have to get some targets. I’ve had some conversations with my inner circle. Maybe I have to do some talking this year and get guys to throw at me this year. Whatever it takes.”
After being one of the most-targeted corners in the NFL in his final season in Kansas City, Nelson couldn’t get quarterbacks to throw his