Help could be on the way for the Kansas City Chiefs‘ secondary. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Chiefs are expected to host veteran free agent cornerback Steven Nelson for a visit on Monday, December 9.
Nelson, 31, entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Chiefs in 2015 and spent the first four seasons of his NFL career in Kansas City. Once Nelson’s rookie deal expired in 2019 he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was with them for two seasons before he joined the Philadelphia Eagles (one season) and then the Houston Texans (two seasons).
After nine seasons in the league, Nelson announced his retirement on June 9 via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. A call for help from the two-time defending Super Bowl champions has seemingly changed his mind.
The Chiefs have struggled to find consistent play opposite of Trent McDuffie ever since Jaylen Watson suffered a broken ankle in Week 7. In Week 13, third-year cornerback Nazeeh Johnson was benched against the Las Vegas Raiders in favor of fellow third-year corner Joshua Williams, though head coach Andy Reid didn’t seem overly concerned about Johnson’s long-term outlook despite being benched.
“Listen, I’m glad we have both of them. I think both of them can still work in there and do some things,” Reid explained during his December 2 press conference. “We haven’t given up on Nazeeh or anything of that sort. I mean, he’s coming off of a pretty major knee surgery, and so we’ve kind of kept an eye on him with that. I think as we go forward we can use both of them for sure.”
It’s no surprise that the Chiefs reached out to a veteran who’s familiar with their system to potentially address their secondary issues midseason. They followed the same guidelines when they signed veteran Kareem Hunt in the wake of running back Isiah Pacheco suffering a fractured fibula in Week 2. Abiding by those guidelines ensures whoever is joining the team midseason can pick things up quickly.
The play of Johnson and Williams against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Week 15 could determine Nelson’s status with the team.
