Steelers’ Steven Nelson aims to be recognized as among NFL’s best cornerbacks
Steven Nelson cracked a smile that showed he was more humored than annoyed.
Entering his sixth NFL season and coming off his best as a pro, the Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback was addressed by a reporter with a question that referenced his “lack of size” as “not the biggest cornerback.”
“I don’t think I’m that small,” said Nelson, who is listed at 5-foot-11, 194 pounds. “I don’t know why people keep saying that.”
Regardless of his stature, Nelson is becoming increasingly difficult to overlook — so to speak — as the level of his play looms larger since joining the Steelers as a rare heavy expenditure in unrestricted free agency last year.
Nelson was rated as one of the NFL’s top 10 cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus last season. The analytics from PFF and SharpFootballStats.com, among others, likewise rated Nelson statistically as one of the best at his position in 2019.
But despite that, and despite being one of only two significant additions to a defense that improved from 16th in the NFL to fifth from 2018 to ‘19, Nelson was not named to the Pro Bowl or AP All-Pro teams.
Steelers CB Steve Nelson’s goal for the 2020 season is to be recognized as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL pic.twitter.com/6RN4p18pkp
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) August 11, 2020
“I feel like I am underrated,” Nelson said during a video conference call with media Tuesday. “A lot of people feel that way as well. This year, one of my goals is just to be recognized as one of the better corners in the league and just my role on this defense, being a professional, a veteran guy that’s going to come to work and do my job so we can all reach that same goal.”
According to PFF data, Nelson averaged 16.1 coverage snaps per reception allowed last season, the sixth-best ratio among NFL cornerbacks. He also ranked 12th in yards allowed per coverage snap (0.86), 13th in opponent passer rating to a receiver he had in coverage (73.3) and tied for third best in touchdowns allowed among cornerbacks who averaged at least 21 coverage snaps per game. Nelson, per PFF, had one touchdown scored against him among 547 coverage snaps.
“Steve is a good player,” Steelers senior defensive assistant/secondary Teryl Austin said during a video call Tuesday. “What you’re going to get from Steve, you’re getting that every game. He’s a tremendous worker, a tremendous pro. When you have a guy like that, you don’t worry about what you’re putting in and how you’re putting it in or what you’re going to do because you know he’s going to execute that at a fairly high level.”
Austin spoke seriously about Nelson, a player who takes pride in his craft. But Austin also couldn’t help but laugh when told of Nelson’s firm assertion that he is underrated.
“He likes to be underrated because that gives him that little chip he needs,” Austin said, “and I like that.”
When Nelson was signed to a three-year, $25.5 million contract in March 2019 — the biggest deal the Steelers have ever given an unrestricted free agent signed from another team — he was coming off four years with the Kansas City Chiefs, for whom he was a third-round pick out of Oregon State in 2015.
But while 2018 was arguably his best season with regard to simple, raw statistics (four interceptions, 15 passes defended), Nelson was a significant cog (started all 16 games) in the secondary of a defense that was the NFL’s second worst by yardage allowed (405.5), ninth worst by points allowed (26.3) and second worst in passing yards allowed (273.4).
This past season for the Steelers, Nelson’s “simple stats” evaporated (one interception, eight passes defended), but the Steelers’ takeaway numbers skyrocketed from an AFC-worst 15 to an NFL-best 38, and their pass defense improved from 10th to third in the NFL (194.6 yards per game).
“His level of play does not fluctuate very much week to week,” Austin said. “When I say that, that’s in a good way because he’s got a high level of play, which you feel confident and comfortable with.”
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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