Is it too early to be concerned about Steelers CB Steven Nelson?

The dismissal or change of Steelers CB Steven Nelson would be extremely premature, but his opening of 2020 hasn’t been the most encouraging.

Stamping an absolute to a player only three games into the season, especially during one when it correlates to absolutely nothing in his past, is not what’s going to happen here. My reason for saying this is many might not read past the title in regards to Steelers CB Steven Nelson.

It is important to understand these players faced limitations during the offseason and then having to immediately jump into a season is near-ludicrous. However, the action has begun & a startling trend is starting to emerge itself.

Still, in the highest ranks categorically as a defense for various stats, the Steelers secondary hasn’t had the best start as projected. Not to claim a one-year wonder out of what was accomplished by the group last season, but they are not seeing the brightest days in 2020, specifically Nelson.

Have we already seen the best of Nelson as a Steeler?

If we were to only rank cornerbacks and judge them off interceptions & pass break-ups, Nelson’s 2018 season as a Kansas City Chief would deem him as elite. Four picks & 15 pass deflections, the imagination of “Nelson Island” vanished when realizing he also was the recipient of five touchdowns thrown against him, 766 passing yards, 115 targets, 192 yards after the catch, & a 16.0 missed tackle percentage.

All career-highs at the time that made the decision for his departure easy, spiteful comments were also filled by Chiefs fans. Although their loss became a gem for the Steelers in 2019 & the contract given to Nelson appeared to make all the sense.

Signed to a three-year, 25.5 million dollar contract on March 19, 2019, the Steelers front office already had him insights & knew the player he could become.

And he did.

"“As Haden ranked 11th in each of the major categories for cornerbacks, Nelson’s contributions made Pittsburgh one of four teams to have two CBs listed in the top 15 for passer rating against, with Nelson coming in at 12 at 73.3. Although he only had one interception, he only allowed one touchdown (tied-2nd), was 13th in YPC (0.86), third in YAC (110), on 34 receptions (tied-9th).A 51.9 completion average between the two, something that comparably rounds up equally with New England’s own Stephon Gilmore and J.C Jackson, it’s even more significant to realize considering the fact they each logged more than a 1000 defensive snaps in 2019.”"

But the first three weeks in 2020 are popping flashbacks into his younger days as a Chief. Against lesser competition, albeit the speed of Houston Texans wide receivers can create problems, Nelson is allowing a 63 completion percentage, 14.2 yards per completion, 8.9 yards per target, a 131.6 QB rating, and already racked up a third of air yards (133) & YAC (37) than what he did in 2019.

The problem isn’t now; it’s the future

Nelson, as seen & performed before and has the talent to be one of the better cornerbacks in this league. Slow starts happen for either teams or players, but opposing competition will not wait on anyone to fix their issues.

The Steelers map down the road reads like this. In a five-game stretch that will likely be the focal point of the season, Pittsburgh will face the Baltimore Ravens twice, Dallas Cowboys, & Jacksonville Jaguars, all ranking 13th or better in offensive DVOA according to footballoutsiders.com. Also, in queue for the rejuvenated Buffalo Bills late into the season, the matchups get no easier from here on out, as a team and for the secondary.

Even considering the upcoming matchup against the Tennessee Titans, the turnaround has to be quick for Nelson. Titans QB Ryan Tannehill leads the sixth-ranked passing DVOA offense, completing 67% of his passes with a 6-1 TD to INT ratio. WR Corey Davis appears to be off to the start the league has waited for & is a prime example that it takes time for different athletes.

Confidence is vital, and stopping the play-action game of the Titans could be the boost needed for Nelson. Panic time isn’t here yet, but the play has to be better.