The Pittsburgh Steelers announced the release of second-year safety Scott Nelson Friday, one day after the conclusion of mandatory minicamp on the South Side.
Technically, Nelson is being waived due to him not being a vested veteran. A vested veteran in the NFL is a player who has earned three or more credited seasons since 1993, meaning those players are entitled to benefits negotiated under the CBA. Nelson will be subject to waivers as he is not a vested veteran.
The Steelers originally signed Nelson to the practice squad on October 4, 2022, while they were dealing with a number of injuries in the secondary. He was waived just a few weeks later on October 22 as guys started to get healthier on Pittsburgh’s defense but was then brought back in late December to provide depth on the practice squad at safety.
Following his stint with the Steelers on the practice squad, Nelson signed a reserve/futures contact with the Black and Gold after the season.
Prior to his time in Pittsburgh, Nelson was on the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad after going undrafted out of Wisconsin.
Nelson started 29 career games at Wisconsin, registering 125 career tackles and five career interceptions. He also had 15 career pass deflections and 11.5 tackles for a loss during his time with the Badgers. He also had an interception return touchdown in 2021 and his two interceptions in 2020 ranked eighth in the Big Ten.
The Steelers now have one spot open on the 90-man roster and could be filling it in the coming days with an inside linebacker after hosting Nick Kwiatkowski and Jermaine Carter for tryouts during minicamp.
