Seahawks trade Witherspoon to Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon from the Seattle Seahawks for a 2023 fifth-round pick, the club announced Friday.

Witherspoon departs the Seahawks before playing a regular-season snap for them. He signed a one-year contract with Seattle this offseason after spending the first four seasons of his career with the San Francisco 49ers.

The Seahawks recently acquired former second-round cornerback Sidney Jones in a trade with the Jaguars, likely making Witherspoon expendable. Their corner group currently features Jones, Tre Flowers, and D.J. Reed, among others.

Meanwhile, the Steelers will receive a significant boost in their secondary with the acquisition of Witherspoon. Pittsburgh was slated to enter the 2021 campaign with Joe Haden and Cameron Sutton as its only experienced cornerbacks after releasing Steven Nelson and losing Mike Hilton to free agency.

Witherspoon comes to Pittsburgh with 33 career starts and four interceptions. He picked one pass over 11 appearances last season.

Pittsburgh's cornerback depth chart is rounded out by James Pierre, Justin Layne, and Arthur Maulet.

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