The Eagles filled a massive roster hole at cornerback over the weekend by signing free agent Steven Nelson. And while he might be CB2 on the field, we now know he’ll be wearing No. 3.
Here’s our first glimpse of Nelson in an Eagles jersey:
The preceding shot comes from the following video:
Welcome to the family, @Nelson_Island!#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/tJbzUFkqbK
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 28, 2021
Nelson is set to be the first Eagles player to wear No. 3 in a regular-season game since ... Mark Sanchez back in 2015. How time flies.
So, is this a good look for Nelson? After crunching some numbers in the official #JerseyNumberAnalytics, the verdict is in. And the answer is ... yes!
In a vacuum, I don’t love No. 3 for Nelson. But given that Darius Slay is wearing No. 2, there’s something about this dynamic that works for me. Two starting outside corners in single digits. Really taking advantage of the NFL’s relaxed restrictions.
Speaking of No. 2, that’s actually what Nelson wore at Oregon State. He then wore No. 20 for four years with the Kansas City Chiefs before switching to No. 22 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Safe to say he would’ve been after his old college number if Slay didn’t already have it.
So, there you have it. CB1 Slay is No. 2 and CB2 Nelson is No. 3.