The Kansas City Chiefs need Steven Nelson back at corner

One of the major issues for the Kansas City Chiefs right now is the secondary. The return of Steven Nelson seems like the only way things will get better there.

When listing the reasons why the Kansas City Chiefs defense is struggling right now, the secondary seems to stand out. The Chiefs have been getting burned a lot this year by opposing receivers. When looking for answers on how to fix it, the solution that stands out to me is the return of Steven Nelson.

While Terrance Mitchell is currently the starter opposite of Marcus Peters, that job was actually supposed to belong to Steven Nelson. However, the Chiefs third year cornerback was placed on Injured Reserve (IR) before the season began. Kansas City is now dealing with the fallout of losing a key member of the secondary.

Getting Steven Nelson back on the field would allow KC to operate more comfortably in their base defense. Nelson is a solid cover man who can hold his own on the outside, or in the slot. That is a very valuable weapon for a defense to have.

Get Gaines Off The Field

Of course the biggest benefit for the Kansas City Chiefs in getting Steven Nelson on the field might be in who won’t be out there. Phillip Gaines has been a liability in the Chiefs secondary this year, consistently getting badly beat. Having Nelson out there would mean seeing much less of Gaines.

Putting Steven Nelson on the field would also take a lot of pressure off of Terrance Mitchell. While Mitchell hasn’t been terrible (statistically), he also hasn’t been what the Chiefs need on the outside. The high volume of targets against him eventually pays off in nearly every game. He’s also struggled with balls that should be interceptions turning into big plays for the offense.

Having Steven Nelson back would allow Terrance Mitchell to get a breather on the bench where he can also get some coaching pointers. That’s more important than many people realize. That’s one reason why teams want an every down starter.

When Will He Return?

The question now though is just when will Steven Nelson return? Having been placed on IR, Nelson is not eligible to return until after the Kansas City Chiefs eighth game of the season. However, there is no guarantee that Nelson will be ready at that point.