I might be wrong. Heck, I’m wrong about a lot. Also, I will admit if I end up being wrong --- you’ll hear it from me first next season sometime.
But here goes with the proclamation: I don’t think the loss of Steven Nelson will impact the Pittsburgh Steelers all that much. If it impacts them at all.
This is just all a bunch of talk because Steven Nelson wants to keep talking.
It appears to me that of all the people on this planet, Steven Nelson is far and above the biggest fan of Steven Nelson --- and, yes, he’s a gigantic fan of Steven Nelson. He’s a heck of a larger fan of himself than all the other teams in the NFL who have yet to sign the guy. I mean, I think that needs to be pointed out --- as of today, he remains unemployed.
This whole thing has turned into quite the saga for the now ex-Steelers cornerback who has shifted from wanting a contract extension (and with it, obviously a long-term pay increase) to now seemingly being upset that the organization wouldn’t negotiate with him if he was willing to take a pay cut.
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Sorry, but I’m confused by his words.
In actuality, I think it is Nelson who can’t seem to make up his mind as to what story he wants to tell. We also know the Steelers aren’t in the business of having some verbal public ping-pong match with the guy, so they won’t respond as to why he isn’t part of the club any longer.
In my estimation, one of the primary reasons Nelson isn’t a Steeler anymore is because he either didn’t want to compete with Cam Sutton or the Steelers didn’t think there was all that much of a competition between the two ---- that Sutton was, and is, the far and above better football player.
And that brings us to the true gist of this column. It really isn’t all that much about Nelson anymore as he’s gone. No, what this has turned into is a trust in the Steelers finding a few defensive backs moving forward who aren’t named Joe Haden.
I don’t have that trust blindly and the Steelers don’t have the greatest track record identifying talent at corner, but I know this: Nelson’s play had dropped off last season from where it was in 2019.
Anyone who watched football could see that.
Anyone who watched football could also see that it just might be Sutton who is replacing Nelson at that spot and not Sutton sliding into replace the also-departed Mike Hilton.
So with all that said, maybe it will be Trevor Williams or Justin Layne or James Pierre?
Who knows?
Maybe it will be someone who they draft and feel comfortable enough to plug and play.
Who knows?
One thing I know for sure is this: Steven Nelson being a Pittsburgh Steeler in 2021 or not being a Pittsburgh Steeler in 2021 really was never going to change the bottom line. They were always going to be destined to win exactly the same amount of games.
Nelson might think he’s a lead role guy, but he was just a bit actor now. And bit actors won’t skew the win total.