Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon has found a new NFL home.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Thursday that Witherspoon agreed to a contract with the Washington Commanders.
“The Commanders are signing veteran CB Ahkello Witherspoon following his visit to the team today, sources say,” wrote Garafolo on X. “After three seasons with the Rams, Witherspoon heads to Washington, rejoining GM Adam Peters, who was with the 49ers when the team drafted Witherspoon.”
The cornerback began his career with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. He played for the Steelers from 2021-22 after the team acquired him in a trade.
Witherspoon started three games for the Steelers in 2021. The following season, he entered the campaign as one of the team’s starting cornerbacks. But he struggled early on and then suffered a hamstring injury, landing on injured reserve.
During his Week 8 return, the Steelers benched Witherspoon and then placed him back on IR with a hamstring issue.
The cornerback never played for Pittsburgh again after that.
The past three years, Witherspoon started 24 games for the Los Angeles Rams. In 2025, he registered eight combined tackles with two pass defenses and an interception in six contests.
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The Commanders will return their top cornerback in terms of snaps from last season. That was Mike Sainristil, who played nearly 90% of Washington’s defensive snaps.
But behind him, the Commanders have to replace multiple depth cornerbacks.
Veterans Jonathan Jones and Noah Igbinoghene each signed with news teams. Marshon Lattimore remains available in free agency, but he doesn’t appear to be potentially returning to Washington.
Early in NFL free agency, the Commanders signed Amik Robertson. But with Witherspoon, the team adds another veteran cornerback with starting experience.
If need be, Witherspoon could start for Washington next season. Ideally, though, he will come off the bench to provide depth.
Witherspoon was serviceable according to his Pro Football Focus player grades during 2023 and 2024. However, last season, he was below average in every category. He struggled in coverage and was very bad at tackling, which has been issue for Witherspoon in recent years.
That poor tackling likely prevents Witherspoon from being a special teams contributor. Despite serving largely serving as a depth cornerback in his career, Witherspoon has played just 432 special teams snaps in nine years.
Over the past three years, the veteran’s defensive playing time significantly declined. He lined up for a career-high 1,060 defensive snaps in 2023. That dropped to 494 in 2024 and then 173 last season.
Witherspoon, though, could see more playing time in Washington depending on how else the team might grab to play corner in free agency and the draft.