Another Free Agent CB Whispered as Option for Vikings
Dustin Baker
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During the 2020 NFL season, linebacker-turned-commentator, Jonathan Vilma, referred to a mysterious Minnesota Vikings player known as “Steven Nelson.” It sounded like Vilma was using that name for a Minnesota defensive back, but the Vikings did not possess any men on the roster by that name.
Well, perhaps it was foreshadowing. Last week, Braulio Perez of Fansided linked the Vikings to free-agent CB Steven Nelson — formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
General Manager Rick Spielman was once deep at cornerback — about 8 weeks ago — but the score has changed a bit. Second-year corner Jeff Gladney is sorting out assault allegations in Texas. It is not ironclad that he plays for the Vikings in 2021, nor does anyone really know if Gladney will be incarcerated. Then, Mike Hughes was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs [along with a 2022 7th-Rounder] for a 2022 6th-Round draft pick, killing the short-lived Hughes era in Minnesota for good.
To start the week, Spielman signed cornerback Parry Nickerson, a young journeyman corner. But it is unclear if he is a replacement-level camp body — or a true-blue CB3 or CB4 for the Vikings depth chart. Probably the former.
Ergo, head coach Mike Zimmer may need to perform his favorite task in life — cornerback shopping. There is evidence that Zimmer believes in a more-the-merrier approach at CB:
On the prospective of signing Steven Nelson per Perez of Fansided, the idea is substantiated with this:
“As for Nelson, he’s looking for a new home and several teams have shown interest. The veteran cornerback started 15 games for the Steelers last year, recording 48 tackles and two interceptions. From our chair, Nelson would be a major upgrade from Hughes. If the Vikings are serious about making something happen here, though, they’ll likely need to move quick. The Eagles are reportedly interested in signing Nelson, with reports coming out this week saying he’s also eyeing a potential move to the NFC East. However, Minnesota could change his mind and get him to the NFC North instead. If the Vikings front office hasn’t picked up the phone yet, they need to change that immediately.“
Based on past performance, Nelson would not be tapped as a camp body. He’s a decent role-playing CB, somewhat similar to the role Mackensie Alexander played in Minnesota during his first stint with the team.
And Nelson is battle-tested. In 2019, he played on 94% of all Steelers snaps on defense. During the pandemic season, h played 88% of all defensive snaps. The man gets his playing time, rest assured.
Two years ago, he allowed a magnificent 65.8 passer-rating-against but watched that number climb (in a bad way) to 97.0 in 2020.
Nelson’s Pro Football Focus grades:
- 2015 = 50.7
- 2016 = 62.1
- 2017 = 65.5
- 2018 = 73.8
- 2019 = 80.5
- 2020 = 67.1
Because of those astute numbers — particularly in 2019 — Perez is correct that this signing would bolster Zimmer’s secondary. Sprinkle in the idea that Zimmer is a “cornerback whisperer,” and the brainstorming looks brilliant.
Nelson was college teammates with former Vikings QB2 Sean Mannion.