Steven Nelson officially signs with the Chiefs and joins the practice squad to start

Update: The Chiefs and Nelson officially agreed to a deal to join the team after a free agent visit on Monday. Ian Rapoport says he will start on the team’s practice squad.

It’s been a slow parade of familiar faces returning through the halls of Arrowhead this season – and a surprising amount of it revolves around active business.

From the return of kicker Matthew Wright for a brief stint to a short-lived reunion with tight end Jody Fortson to the celebrated return of running back Kareem Hunt, the Chiefs have brought back some old friends this season to bolster the roster due to injuries.

On Monday, a player who hasn’t been part of the team’s active roster for a long time will be visiting again: cornerback Steven Nelson.

This weekend, before the team’s most recent win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14, reports surfaced that Nelson was reconsidering his “retirement” stance and considering joining the Chiefs for the long haul. On Monday, both parties involved will have the opportunity to iron out the wrinkles in such a conversation.

Nelson officially retired from the game back in June after playing two seasons with the Houston Texans. These seasons followed a single year with the Philadelphia Eagles and two more with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nelson, a third-round pick of the Chiefs, began his career in Kansas City in 2015 and played four seasons at Arrowhead. He was given a starting position in his second season and remained a presence there for Bob Sutton’s defense throughout the duration of his rookie contract. In 2019, the Chiefs cleaned up defensively and Nelson had a nice raise from the Steelers waiting for him anyway.

While Nelson would bring a wealth of experience to the Chiefs, especially after some impressive seasons for the Texans, it’s also true that readiness would be an issue. It’s also not a no-brainer considering he never played for Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. So it’s not like his time in KC correlates with an entirely new plan.

Nelson has 78 pass deflections, 13 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles in 130 career NFL games.