On Wednesday, the Carolina Panthers made a huge trade to acquire cornerback Stephon Gilmore from the New England Patriots. This gives the Panthers true No. 1 cornerback and all it cost Carolina was a sixth-round draft pick.
Why does this matter to the Pittsburgh Steelers? Because the Steelers also traded for a cornerback this season. Pittsburgh sent a fifth-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon.
Witherspoon has appeared in one game, playing four defensive snaps. Short of a catastrophic injury, Witherspoon will remain inactive for much of the season.
At the time, the move for Witherspoon felt like a good one. However, in context, it most certainly was not. Even with the higher cap hit for Gilmore, the Panthers made a far better deal. You get what you pay for, so to speak. The Steelers really could use another cornerback who can supplant Justin Layne on the depth chart but as the weeks pass it feels less likely it will Witherspoon.
