LA Chargers: 3 free agent cornerbacks the team can still sign
By Jason Reed
2. Steven Nelson
Steven Nelson was just released by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday morning. Nelson asked for his release from the Steelers instead of getting traded and Pittsburgh complied. Now Nelson is one of the most interesting names on the market and would be a fit in Los Angeles.
Nelson would serve as the team’s second outside corner with him, Michael Davis and a drafted rookie all splitting snaps on the outside. Having both Nelson and Davis could be valuable in the case that the rookie is not ready to be a big contributor in year one (which is likely).
Nelson is coming off of a strong 2020 season with the Steelers. He posted a 68.1 defensive grade and a 68.6 coverage grade. The year prior Nelson posted an 80.3 coverage grade for the Steelers.
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In fact, Nelson ranked 20th among cornerbacks with at least 50% snaps played in passer rating allowed, allowing a 82.3 passer rating on 537 coverage snaps last year. He ranked 10th among 33 cornerbacks who played 500 coverage snaps last season.
Nelson is one of the bigger names on the market, joining the likes of Malcolm Butler and former Charger Casey Hayward. However, unlike those two, Nelson is on the right side of 30, which is a very promising sign for the LA Chargers.