ESPN Suggests Steelers Bring Back Veteran CB in Free Agency

By most accounts, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had a strong offseason. A sound process plan for the quarterback room was fulfilled, the offensive line was overhauled, and the defense got younger and more athletic.

Yet, it wouldn’t be a reach to call the offseason incomplete – both literally and figuratively.

Of course, there’s still a month until training camp and moves to be made on the fringes of the roster, but the Pittsburgh faithful have been clamoring for a big move opposite receiver George Pickens.

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The likelihood of such a deal has ranged from “imminent” to “improbable,” so expectations should be tempered. Yet, the opportunity to make moves still persists.

In ESPN’s list of moves each team should make this summer, the Steelers aren’t pegged for a star receiver or extra competition on the boundary. Rather, Aaron Schatz suggests Pittsburgh brings back a familiar face – cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon.

“Even with the arrival of Cameron Sutton to play in the slot, the Steelers could still use more veteran depth at corner,” Aaron Schatz wrote. “Witherspoon, a former Steeler, was surprisingly good for the Rams last season – he ranked 18th in success rate in coverage and 37th in coverage DVOA with 14 passes defended.

“He will likely be inexpensive to sign, as he’s 29 years old and could back up all three Steelers starters.”

Witherspoon had an up-and-down season with the Los Angeles Rams, boasting the aforementioned efficiency metrics but finding himself as the victim on more deep shots than one would prefer. He played well against the run but wasn’t in a position to win as the leading corner on a poor pass defense.

According to Pro Football Focus, he gave up the 14th-most yards, had the 10th-highest yards per reception allowed, and gave up the 13th-most touchdowns (five). Raw coverage numbers can be misleading, but struggling across the board by those marks is far from ideal.

With that said, a smaller role in a familiar system might do him some good. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was Witherspoon’s secondary coach before making the jump to coordinator in 2022, the corner’s final year in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers’ influx of young talent in the secondary includes rookies Ryan Watts and Beanie Bishop Jr., but without much in the form of known quantities beyond the starting lineup, Witherspoon makes a decent amount of sense in the back end.