PITTSBURGH —As the Steelers shape their secondary for the 2021 season, nine days before they kick off Week 1 against the Bills, they're adding another cornerback.
Ahkello Witherspoon, a 6-foot-3, high third-round pick in 2017 who spent four seasons with the 49ers, is coming to Pittsburgh in a trade from Seattle, the team announced Friday. The Steelers are sending back a fifth-round pick in 2023, two drafts from now, to acquire Witherspoon (pending a physical). To make room, they've released backup defensive lineman and special teams contributor Henry Mondeaux, who figures to find his way back to the practice squad.
Witherspoon is a long and lean player at 195 pounds, and he's had success in the NFL. He has started 33 of 47 games but only four last season for the 49ers, who didn't re-sign him in free agency this year. Witherspoon, 26, signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Seahawks in March.
Now Seattle is turning right around and sending him to the Steelers, who have two unproven options behind Joe Haden and Cam Sutton at outside cornerback. James Pierre has drawn rave reviews from coaches at times this summer, but he was an undrafted free agent last season who played sparingly on defense as a rookie. Justin Layne enters his third season as a 2019 third-round pick but has been leap-frogged on the depth chart by Pierre.
"I don't think anybody's comfortable with four cornerbacks," Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler said Wednesday, before the team also added slot cornerback Arthur Maulet. "We've got guys who can play different positions. Cam can play different positions. He can play the nickel. [Pierre] has shown that he can play in preseason. We think we're OK right now. If somebody becomes available out there in Never Never Land, we'll see what happens."
With Witherspoon, the Steelers have a potential starter on the outside, or at least a more experienced candidate to play there and bump Sutton inside to slot cornerback in their nickel defense. Witherspoon, who played in college at Colorado, has four career interceptions and 24 pass breakups. He had one pick and four passes defensed last season, when Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 80.4 — higher than any Steelers defensive backs in 2020.
Witherspoon, who also has special teams experience, played nearly every snap for San Francisco over the final three weeks last year. Over the course of the season, he allowed just an 82.4 passer rating, 9.3 yards per completion and 5.5 yards per target, according to Pro Football Reference's advanced stats. He carries a $2.75 million salary cap number in 2021, but the Seahawks added a void year that will count for $1.25 million in 2022. The Steelers, who have nearly $11.5 million in cap space, per overthecap.com, could also restructure Witherspoon's deal.
The Steelers will need to make a corresponding roster move, either releasing a player or moving one to injured reserve, to make room for Witherspoon. He only has one week of practice to get up to speed before the season opener, but it will be interesting to see if he supplants Pierre right away as the No. 3 cornerback. Witherspoon, a late-bloomer from Sacramento, played only one year of high school football and first went to junior college. But he ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash and had a 40.5-inch vertical leap four years later at the NFL combine.
In Seattle, Witherspoon was signed to be a starting cornerback but appeared to lose hold of that job throughout training camp. That made him expendable in a trade, but for now, it's unknown what the Steelers are giving up for him. With Haden becoming a free agent after this season, Witherspoon could make himself part of the Steelers' future on defense should he perform well in his new home.
