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After the Pittsburgh Steelers Week 12 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday night, Mike Tomlin told the media cornerback Steven Nelson was slated to have an MRI on his knee. It came as a shock considering Nelson didn’t leave the game, and was able to finish.
However, after not practicing all week, Nelson is listed as doubtful for the Week 13 game vs. the Washington Football Team on Monday at Heinz Field. While Nelson hasn’t been ruled out, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting Nelson won’t be playing Monday.
CB Steve Nelson not expected to play vs Washington. Cam Sutton will start in his spot.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) December 5, 2020
What was surprising to me was how the Steelers are going to go with Cam Sutton on the outside, in place of Nelson.
It wasn’t a surprise as in Sutton can’t handle the job, he can, but the Steelers have options at cornerback. For the first time in a long time, the Steelers’ secondary is filled with capable, and versatile, players. The simplest, and easiest, solution to not having Nelson is to plug Sutton into that role. But it begs the question what they will do when the defense goes into their dime sub packages.
Will the Steelers put Justin Layne on the outside and move Sutton to his usual role in that specific sub package? The Steelers have something they haven’t had in a long time in their secondary, and that is options. This will be something to keep an eye on during the game Monday when the Washington Football Team comes to Heinz Field for a 5 p.m. ET kickoff.
Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black and gold as they prepare for the stretch run of the 2020 regular season.