Steven Nelson, Pittsburgh Steelers. (Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
The Pittsburgh Steelers have made their choice at the cornerback position, and it will cost them Steven Nelson in the process. He now wants to be traded.
For the sake of finances, the Pittsburgh Steelers have decided to roll with cornerback Joe Haden and it will end up costing Steven Nelson, who has now been placed on the trading block.
Pittsburgh reportedly went with Haden over Nelson because by going with Haden, it will save the Steelers $7 million. Nelson is being allowed to look for a trade, but for a cash-strapped Steelers team that is in win-now mode with an aging quarterback, this does not come across well at all. Haden used to be one heck of a player, but Nelson is the younger cornerback still in his prime.
Will the Steelers’ decision on Steven Nelson come back to haunt them?
The Steelers will once again be a team led by its defense. The running back was virtually non-existent for Pittsburgh last year, especially in the latter stages of the season. For as long as Ben Roethlisberger remains the Steelers quarterback, their Super Bowl window is open, or at least in theory. But potentially trading away a viable cornerback option in Nelson will not help them at all.
Eventually, the Steelers are going to have to rebuild. They may draft the heir apparent to Roethlisberger this spring, or they may not. For now, the Steelers have to go year-to-year with him under center. And if the Steelers want to have “Big Ben” ride off into the sunset as a three-time Super Bowl champion, it will have to be on a team carried by the defense, not the offense.
By making this choice, it only further solidifies that the Steelers are totally in win-now mode.