Steelers can’t let CB Ahkello Witherspoon slip through their fingers in free agency

Ahkello Witherspoon was a bright spot in an otherwise unspectacular secondary last year. Here’s why the Steelers must re-sign the free-agent cornerback.

Steelers fans have to be mostly pleased with what Kevin Colbert has done so far in free agency. Very early in the process, Pittsburgh landed a capable stop-gap quarterback in Mitchell Trubisky while beefing up their offensive line.

So far, the Steelers have signed three offensive linemen to sizable deals. Newcomers James Daniels and Mason Cole will likely replace Trai Turner and Kendrick Green in the middle while Chukwuma Okorafor will be around for the foreseeable future at right tackle.

While the offense is looking like it will be improved in 2022, the same can’t be said for the defense right now — particularly in the secondary. Pittsburgh recently signed former Buffalo Bills starting cornerback, Levi Wallace. The former undrafted free agent is physical and has been a terrific tackler at the CB position.

Unfortunately, the team can ill-afford to stop here. At the moment, the Steelers possess the slowest cornerback room in the NFL on paper, and bringing back veteran Ahkello Witherspoon is a must:

While timed speeds should be taken with a grain of salt, this — for the most part — is a slow, undersized secondary that could be limited to playing zone coverage in 2022 unless there are a few big changes.

At the moment, Pittsburgh’s starting cornerbacks would likely be Levi Wallace and Cameron Sutton on the outside with Arthur Maulet and Tre Norwood seeing the field for Nickel and Dime responsibilities.

Why Steelers must re-sign Witherspoon

This is less than ideal, and one of the main reasons why Pittsburgh must find a way to retain Witherspoon. Last year, Witherspoon was easily the best cornerback on the roster in the second half of the season.

Unlike every other guy they currently have, Witherspoon has a terrific combination of size, length, and athleticism. The 6’3” cornerback ran a 4.45 coming out of college and has now strung together two terrific seasons (one with the Steelers and one with 49ers in 2020).

Witherspoon was a developmental prospect who has certainly panned out, and players with his traits don’t grow on trees. Last year, he allowed the lowest passer rating on the team when targeted, according to Pro Football Reference:

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Joe Haden essentially already waved farewell to the organization, and he wouldn’t offer much upside in his old age anyway. Witherspoon turns just 27 this offseason and has graded out as a top-13 NFL cornerback in back-to-back seasons, according to PFF.

By retaining Witherspoon, Pittsburgh’s starting cornerbacks will look much better with Witherspoon and Wallace on the outside and Sutton covering the slot in Nickel.

If the Steelers aren’t able to give Witherspoon a contract extension, they may be forced to select a cornerback early in the 2022 NFL Draft. This isn’t the situation they want to find themselves in. I think Witherspoon is essential to the operation on defense and must be retained. Let’s hope the front office can get this done.