Former Steelers CB Ahkello Witherspoon signs with the Los Angeles Rams

The Pittsburgh Steelers had some difficult, yet obvious, decisions to make this past offseason as it pertained to their salary cap situation. Players, both just happen to be cornerbacks, had inflated contracts which seemed to not make much financial sense for the team moving into 2023.

The first player to be given his walking papers was William Jackson III. The cornerback who was acquired from the Washington Commanders was owed $12 million dollars in 2023. For a player who is often injured and never played a snap last year, his release was a no-brainer.

As for Ahkello Witherspoon, the Steelers didn’t part ways with him immediately. Witherspoon was kept around as a type of insurance before being released after the Steelers added Patrick Peterson in free agency, and both Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Witherspoon has remained a free agent until Jordan Schultz announced Thursday Witherspoon was signing with the Los Angeles Rams.

Witherspoon was productive when healthy for the Steelers, but the narrative surrounding his entire career, with both the San Francisco 49ers and a brief stint with the Seattle Seahawks, of him being a player who lacks consistency held true throughout his time with the Steelers.

As Witherspoon now prepares for his next tenure in the NFL, he’ll see his former employer in L.A. this season when the Steelers travel to play the Rams in Week 7. If he plays, it should be interesting to see him match up with either Diontae Johnson or George Pickens.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the 2023 NFL offseason.