On Monday, the Edmonton Elks released offensive lineman Steven Nielsen. The 26-year-old from Dragør, Denmark, played 17 games this year in Edmonton.
Nielsen played 30 games, of which four were starts in two seasons with the Elks after they drafted him in the first round (2nd pick) in the 2021 CFL Global Draft.
Collegiately, Nielson played four seasons at Eastern Michigan (2016-19) playing 49 games, of which 39 were starts at left guard and right tackle. In 2018, Nielson was named to the Third Team All-MAC selection after the Eagles’ offense was ranked third nationally in fewest interceptions thrown (4) and 11th in turnover margin (+0.77).
In 2019, Nielson was named to the First Team All-MAC Preseason All-MAC honors. He helped lead the offense to 283.2 passing yards a game and a league-best 27 passing touchdowns. After college, he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent but was released during training camp.
Shortly after the Elks released Nielson, he signed with the Raiders Tirol of the European League of Football for the upcoming 2023 season.
