Former Seahawks CB Ahkello Witherspoon Making Impact Late For Steelers' Defense

Three months removed from his abrupt departure out of the Pacific Northwest, former Seahawks cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon has finally inserted himself into the Steelers' starting lineup and making the most of it.

In the wake of losing longtime starting cornerback Shaquill Griffin to the Jaguars this past March, the Seahawks quickly turned their attention to a familiar face in Ahkello Witherspoon. Having seen him play within their division for the past four seasons after expressing interest in him prior to the 2017 NFL Draft, Seattle circled back to the former 49er and inked him to a one-year, $4 million contract with hopes of extracting some untapped potential. 

Instead, Witherspoon didn't make it beyond the preseason. Following a disappointing three-week audition, the Seahawks shipped the fifth-year corner off to the Steelers for a 2023 fifth-round draft selection. They also cut ties with veterans Pierre Desir and Damarious Randall, replacing them with the likes of John Reid, Blessuan Austin, Nigel Warrior and Sidney Jones. 

At first, the Seahawks struggled to find a viable starting duo at both outside cornerback positions, kicking things off with D.J. Reed at left cornerback and Tre Flowers on the right. Flowers was eventually benched in Week 4 and granted his release shortly thereafter, thus allowing Seattle to shift Reed back to the right side and insert Jones on the left. 

Although Reed looked more comfortable, Jones didn't offer much improvement and the Seahawks continued to struggle defensively. But in Week 6, after suffering a knee injury in training camp, 2021 fourth-round draft pick Tre Brown made his return from injured reserve and became an immediate success. He quickly supplanted Jones in the starting lineup, solely manning the left side in Weeks 8 and 10, but saw his impressive rookie campaign come to an abrupt end due to a patellar tendon injury. 

Nevertheless, cornerback play has been the least of the Seahawks' worries since Week 5; and they haven't been losing any sleep over the departed Witherspoon, who's failed to contribute to his new team until only recently. 

Through the Steelers' first nine games, Witherspoon played just four snaps—all coming in Week 2 against the Raiders. Despite being on the field for such a short amount of time, his day did not go well as receiver Henry Ruggs III burned right by him for a 61-yard touchdown.

It would take nearly 10 weeks for him to see the gridiron again, after cornerback Joe Haden suffered a significant foot injury. He played 20 total snaps versus the Chargers in Week 11, allowing two catches on both of his targets for 39 yards. The following week, in a road battle with the Bengals, Witherspoon played 15 snaps and fared much better, surrendering one reception for 16 yards.

During that time, the Steelers began to sour on part-time starting left cornerback James Pierre, leading to Witherspoon's insertion into the starting lineup in Week 13. In his first start in nearly a year, Witherspoon limited Ravens receivers to just three catches on five targets for 37 yards and recorded a pass breakup in the process. 

Riding that wave of momentum into this week's Thursday Night Football bout with the Vikings, Witherspoon not only played his best game in a Steelers uniform, but one of the best of his young career overall. He was the team's highest-graded player on the night by Pro Football Focus' assessment, coming in at a mark of 89.5 with a 90.5 coverage grade. In all, he allowed four catches for 43 yards on nine targets (44.4 completion percentage) and reeled in not one, but two interceptions of Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. 

With Minnesota leading 27-9 in the third quarter, Cousins forced a pass up the middle to receiver Justin Jefferson, only to be tipped into the air by Pittsburgh linebacker Devin Bush and into the waiting arms of Witherspoon. That helped stage a late-game comeback by the Steelers, which was further assisted by the second of Witherspoon's picks.

Witherspoon jammed his matchup, receiver K.J. Osborn, at the line of scrimmage and jumped his in-breaking route to swallow up an errant pass from Cousins. He ran it all the way down to Minnesota's 21-yard line, setting Pittsburgh's offense up with prime field position as it looked to claw its way back from a 14-point deficit with a little under five minutes remaining in regulation. 

The comeback attempt ultimately failed, but Witherspoon played a large role in turning what initially looked to be a primetime blowout into a Thursday night thriller. 

Witherspoon's recent success will likely be met with bitterness and annoyance from many Seahawks fans. But considering the timeline of the 26-year old's 2021 journey, it's impossible to gauge how much of a positive difference he could have truly made had he stayed put in the Pacific Northwest. Realistically speaking, taking Seattle's own team-wide struggles into account, it would have been minimal at best. 

However, if Witherspoon's strong play continues and helps push the middling Steelers into the AFC playoffs, perhaps this will become yet another chapter in the book of "what could have been" for the Seahawks' front office.