PITTSBURGH – After an initial list of 53 men that fell short in the corners, the Pittsburgh Steelers have fortified the position by acquiring Ahkello Witherspoon in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday.
Seattle gets a fifth-round pick in 2023 in return, sources said.
Witherspoon, 26, signed a one-year, $ 4 million contract with the Seahawks in March to compete for the initial left-back job, but DJ Reed moved from right to left, turning Witherspoon into a commercial candidate. The Steelers assume just $ 1.5 million of their salary.
NFL Network first reported the trade.
Witherspoon was taken to the third round by San Francisco in 2017 and started 33 of 47 career games with the 49ers in four seasons. He recorded 116 attacks, four interceptions and defended 24 passes.
The Steelers initially only had four cornerbacks on the 53-man roster after the cuts: Cam Sutton, James Pierre, Justin Layne and Joe Haden. They added one more a day later, signing Arthur Maulet after transferring three more players to the injured reserve. Before adding Maulet, defensive coordinator Keith Butler expressed his fear of entering the season with so few corners.
“I don’t think anyone is comfortable with four corners,” Butler said. “We have guys who can play different positions. Cam can play different positions. He can play nickel. Forty-two (Pierre) have shown he can play in preseason.
“We think right now we’re good at playing them in different positions. If someone is available out there in a country that never will be, we’ll see what happens.”
Witherspoon gives the Steelers depth in the corner behind veterans Haden and Sutton, who emerged late on the training camp as the likely corner of the slot after Mike Hilton left. With Sutton in the slot, unwritten free agent Pierre was scheduled to be the outside corner in front of Haden. The depth of the outer corner is young and relatively unproven, and Witherspoon’s experience elevates the group of positions.
The Steelers released defender Henry Mondeaux to make way for the Witherspoon roster.