Tag: steven nelson

WATCH: Texans CB Steven Nelson intercepts Ravens QB Lamar Jackson

Houston Texans safety Steven Nelson intercepted Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in Week 1 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Steven Nelson believed he was worth every penny, and the Houston Texans acquiesced to his requests during training camp.

Nelson showed in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens just why he was worth a contract retooling.

On third-and-6 from the Texans’ 16-yard line with 7:27 to go in the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was facing the pressure from Houston’s new look defensive line featuring rookie Will Anderson. As Jackson threw the ball to avoid the sack, Nelson picked off the former 2019 NFL MVP in the red zone to give Houston their first takeaway of the year.

The Texans weren’t able to capitalize on the turnover, but Nelson nevertheless set the tone for the secondary.

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CB Shaquill Griffin reveals leaders in the Texans’ DB room

Houston Texans cornerback Shaquill Griffin gave insight as to who is taking the reins of leadership inside the defensive back room.

Shaquill Griffin has unique insight into the defensive back room.

The former Pro Bowl cornerback is part of a veteran solution in the Houston Texans’ secondary. Through a week and a half of training camp, Griffin has confidence in the personnel.

“Oh, man, we’ve got some studs on defense,” Griffin told reporters Aug. 3 after practice. “That DB room is stacked. It’s definitely a cool group to be a part of, especially competition wise, and getting the chance learn from a lot of the guys.”

Houston’s secondary had Derek Stingley and Steven Nelson as starting cornerbacks last season with Jalen Pitre as one of the starting safety. The Texans signed former San Francisco 49ers safety Jimmie Ward to be a leader for the group, principally due to his work with new coach DeMeco Ryans, who was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator the past two years. However, the players who were on the roster a year ago are still paragons.

Said Griffin: “I’ve seen Stingley stepping up in a big way. I see Pitre being the leader in that room that we need him to be. Steve is just a savvy vet, so it’s good to just continue to learn from a guy like that. I feel like everyone is taking it a step above in that competition room, so that DB group, you have a bunch of studs in there, so I love to be a part of it.”

The emphasis for the Texans’ scheme under Ryans is to have an attacking 4-3 front. The secondary must stay patient as the opportunities for takeaways will theoretically come from the pressure.

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Breaking down the Texans’ new deal with CB Steven Nelson

The Houston Texans reworked the last year of cornerback Steven Nelson’s contract.

The Houston Texans reworked the final year of cornerback Steven Nelson’s contract on Thursday.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans upgraded the contract for Nelson and will pay the nine-year veteran a maximum value of $6.5 million. The former Kansas City Chiefs 2015 third-round pick was slated to make $4.5 million for 2023.

Nelson has flashed with a few takeaways throughout team portion of camp, but his advice to younger players has also been a benefit for the Texans.

“Steven Nelson has been a big brother to me,” rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud told reporters July 30. “He took me under his wing and showed me some things.”

Last season Nelson generated 52 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, an interception, a forced fumble, and seven pass breakups through 15 games, all of which he started.

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4 takeaways from Day 2 of Houston Texans training camp

The Houston Texans held their second training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center. Here are four takeaways.

The forging of the 2023 Houston Texans continues.

The first day of training camp was going to warrant optimism regardless of how the team actually performed. With the combination of football returning and the club looking to a fan favorite to take over as coach, the first day of camp was going to engender positivity on Kirby Drive.

As the Texans worked through their second day of camp at Houston Methodist Training Center, the work on the field created its own momentum. Any hype that transpired was purely due to basic football, not the elation after a long layoff.

Here are four takeaways from the second day of camp:

CB Steven Nelson reports to Texans training camp

Cornerback Steven Nelson, who is at odds with the organization with his contract, reported to Houston Texans training camp.

The Houston Texans and cornerback Steven Nelson have had a tense offseason.

The 30-year-old is in the final year of a two-year contract with the Texans, and hasn’t exactly kept his disdain for management well hidden. Social media posts from Nelson’s accounts suggest a variety of interpretations regarding his views on general manager Nick Caserio and the state of his contract.

Houston has similarly positioned the team to absorb any issues with Nelson by signing former Pro Bowl cornerback Shaquill Griffin and also working out former Denver Broncos cornerback Ronald Darby ahead of camp.

Nelson was available for camp Wednesday morning and took part in practice at Houston Methodist Training Center. According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans and Nelson have had “dialogue” regarding his contract.

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Texans CB Steven Nelson attends mandatory minicamp

Houston Texans cornerback Steven Nelson is attending mandatory minicamp after not being present for the team’s voluntary workouts.

The Houston Texans don’t have to worry about the attendance in the secondary.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, cornerback Steven Nelson will participate in mandatory minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center Tuesday.

While Nelson was away from the team, he also retooled his representation. The 30-year-old hired David Mulugheta from Athletes First — C.J. Stroud’s representation — as his new agent.

The 5-10, 194-pound cornerback started 15 games for Houston last season, collecting 52 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, a forced fumble, an interception, and seven pass breakups.

Nelson is tied for 40th in terms of annual average compensation among cornerbacks at $4.5 million a year.

The former Kansas City Chiefs 2015 third-round pick signed a two-year deal in March 2022 with a maximum value of $10 million that includes $4.5 million guaranteed. Nelson gets a $3.5 million base salary in 2023 along with $750,000 of the salary guaranteed. There is also an additional $1 million per-game active roster bonus with $500,000 in play-time incentives.

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Texans have 8 players not practicing at OTAs

The Houston Texans have eight players who were not practicing at organized team activities.

The Houston Texans may have over 90% attendance at their organized team activities at Houston Methodist Training Center and NRG Stadium, but the focus perpetually is on the players who weren’t available.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans had seven players who were not participating at the team’s OTAs on Tuesday.

Three players were unavailable due to injury: receiver John Metchie (groin), defensive lineman Thomas Booker (groin), and defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway (hamstring).

Linebacker Denzel Perryman was not available due to recovery from labrum surgery.

The Texans had three veterans who were not in attendance at the voluntary workouts: left tackle Laremy Tunsil, cornerback Steven Nelson, tight end Dalton Schultz, and tackle Greg Little. Last offseason, Tunsil missed all of OTAs but was back in time for the team’s mandatory minicamp in June.

Texans downgrade CB Steven Nelson to out against the Colts

The Houston Texans downgraded cornerback Steven Nelson from questionable to out against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18.

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The Houston Texans will be without one of their starting cornerbacks as they face the Indianapolis Colts.

The Texans downgraded cornerback Steven Nelson from questionable to out. Nelson, who did not practice on Friday, was listed as having an illness on the injury report. The Texans did not bring Nelson to travel with them to Lucas Oil Stadium for Week 18.

With first-rounder Derek Stingley already on injured reserve and Desmond King filling in on the outside, the Texans will turn to Tremon Smith once more to play on the opposite side. Smith had two interceptions in Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys when both Stingley and Nelson were out.

Kickoff is slated for 12:00 p.m. Central Time.

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Texans CB Steven Nelson questionable to return against Cowboys with ankle injury

Nelson is to be considered questionable after sustaining an ankle injury against the #Cowboys

Cornerback Steven Nelson is considered questionable to return after sustaining an ankle injury against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14. He is the third Texan to leave the game after injuries to rookies Christian Harris and Kenyon Green shook up Houston’s depth chart earlier in the half.

Nelson has been a rock-solid contributor for the Texans’ defense this season and is one of the more experienced players in the team’s secondary. He has shown an ability to play sticky coverage and make difficult tackles against opponents who attempt to gain yardage when throwing his way. His loss will force the Texans to turn to their depth at the cornerback position, which was already affected by an injury to Derek Stingley Jr. heading into this matchup.

Houston has a chance to tie Dallas heading into halftime and will need to figure out solutions to their patchwork defense moving forward as they seek to secure their second win of the season against their intrastate rival. Watch for head coach Lovie Smith to make adjustments to mitigate the loss of Nelson to keep Dak Prescott from exploiting the team’s lack of depth in the secondary.

Steven Nelson has opportunity to blossom after standout showing vs. Eagles

Nelson has bounced around the league since 2018 but seems to have found a home with the rebuilding #Texans this season

Veteran cornerback Steven Nelson has been a rock-solid contributor to the Houston Texans’ defense in his first year with the team and had his best showing of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9. He managed to record the first sack of his NFL career in the game and forced just the second fumble of his career since entering the league in 2015.

Originally drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round, Nelson was known for his tackling ability in college, where he played at Oregon State University as a standout member of the Beavers’ secondary. Now a tested veteran at the NFL level, the skillset that made him a prized prospect back in 2015 continues to serve him well for the Texans.

He has bounced around the league a bit since cutting ties with the Chiefs in 2018 and played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Eagles before signing with the Texans this year in the offseason. Houston was in desperate need of experience in their secondary after bringing in two highly touted players in the draft, Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre, who most thought would take time to develop into elite contributors at the pro level.

While Pitre in particular has thrived as a rookie, Stingley is still benefitting from the mentorship of players like Nelson in his first professional season and will continue seeking the input of veterans who will help guide him on his journey in the NFL. Nelson will play a particularly interesting role as part of Stingley’s safety net as he helps the up-and-comer acclimate to the challenges of playing against top-level talent week in and week out.

With the breadth of experience Nelson brings to the table, he will continue being an integral part of Houston’s defensive improvement, not only as a mentor to younger players but to the defense’s cohesion at large. More performances like the one he turned out against Philadelphia will help get the Texans back to a level where they can compete consistently, and could lay the foundation for defensive excellence as the team looks to rebuild in 2023.