Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers release veteran CB

By Aaron Becker | Last updated 5/17/23

The Steelers' busy offseason continued Wednesday, but this time, it came in the form of a release.

Pittsburgh has informed veteran CB Ahkello Witherspoon that he is being cut from the team. The move saves the Steelers $4 million in cap space with just under a $1.5 million dead cap charge.

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

It may come as a surprise to some as Pittsburgh recently released CB Arthur Maulet. However, after drafting two corners in the 2023 NFL Draft (Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr.), the room was getting quite crowded.

Maulet and Witherspoon just turned out to be the odd men out as the Steelers continue to reshape their cornerback room.

Witherspoon did show some promise in 2021 when he had three interceptions and nine passes defensed in nine games. However, he struggled to stay healthy in 2022, playing in just four matchups.

The 2017 third-round pick should still have some suitors heading into his seventh year as he is still only 28 with plenty of starting experience.

For Pittsburgh, the release may be a hint at another addition to the roster coming. General manager Omar Khan has been aggressive this offseason and with $4 million more to spend, anything is possible.

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