4 former Steelers that the team will miss the most in 2021

The Steelers had a huge pool of free agents this offseason, and while they did their best to replace them, these four will be duly missed in 2021.

While free agency has become a more active time for the Steelers than it had been in recent years, this offseason was a tough one. The team had a handful of starters whose contracts expired, and they had little in terms of cap space to prevent them from leaving. While the team did the best that they could to replace these players, that doesn’t mean their departures won’t hurt. These four players, in particular, stand out as the ones the Steelers will miss the most in 2021.

Steelers cut Steven Nelson

The cornerback room was in a precarious position heading into the offseason. With the long-term future of Joe Haden up in the air and some of the other quality players at the position set to be free agents, Steven Nelson was a stabilizing force in the cornerback room. Then, the reports came out that the team was looking to trade Nelson before it eventually came out that the Steelers just outright cut him.

Now, the Steelers do have his replacement in Cameron Sutton on the roster, but there are still questions at slot cornerback. Had the team retained Nelson, Sutton could have been the primary slot cornerback and this group would have remained strong heading into 2021. Now, there are some serious questions with this position and a real chance for severe regression here in 2021. Nelson was a quality player and a good starter, so cutting him this season was a major blow.