According to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, the Pittsburgh Steelers have informed cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon they plan to release him. Witherspoon joined the Steelers in 2021.
After signing Witherspoon, he gradually worked his way into the starting lineup in 2021 and actually led the team in interceptions that season despite only starting three games.
Witherspoon returned in 2022 and was slated to be the starting cornerback opposite Joe Haden and build on the previous year. But after a heavy workload in the first two games, he suffered a hamstring injury that cost him almost all of the rest of the season. He tried to return in Week Eight but was awful and was benched for the rest of the year.
The Steelers loaded up on cornerbacks in free agency and the NFL draft, making Witherspoon expendable. Releasing Witherspoon saves the Steelers $4 million against the cap and leaves just over $1.4 million in dead money on the books.
The #Steelers have informed veteran CB Ahkello Witherspoon that he’ll be released, source says. He started 7 games over the last two seasons.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 17, 2023
