Through nine weeks of the 2021 NFL season, it looked like Kevin Colbert and the Pittsburgh Steelers made a mistake by trading a 2023 fifth round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for cornerback, Ahkello Witherspoon. To that point, Witherspoon was only active for one game and barely saw the field.
However, in Week 10, that all turned around for Witherspoon as he came on strong the back half of the year and made several splash plays ending the season with 3 interceptions and 9 passes defended.
Ahkello Witherspoon celebrates with his teammates after intercepting a pass against the Cleveland Browns. Credit: AP
Him coming on strong in the second half of the season and the Steelers re-signing him to a new two-year contract this off-season has led Bleacher Report to label Witherspoon as the Steelers' "Best-Kept Secret" heading into the 2022 season. With the team's current depth chart, Witherspoon has a chance to be a full-time starter for the Steelers in 2022.
Here is what Bleacher Report said about Witherspoon being the team's best-kept secret:
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have hit on an underrated move when they acquired Ahkello Witherspoon from the Seattle Seahawks last September.
In 2021, Witherspoon missed eight of the first nine games but made steady contributions through the second half of the campaign. He started in three regular-season outings and the Wild Card Round matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. For the year, Witherspoon led the team in interceptions (three) and allowed a 35.1 passer rating in coverage.
Pittsburgh re-signed Witherspoon on a two-year deal, and he'll have a shot to start Week 1 of the upcoming term with cornerback Joe Haden still available on the open market.
At 6'2", 195 pounds, Witherspoon has the size to match up against bigger lead wide receivers and enough foot speed to mirror some of the twitchier pass-catchers on the perimeter. In line for a starting role, he's a potential breakout candidate.
Obviously Steeler Nation is well aware of Witherspoon and he is far from a secret to them, but if he is able to take the league by surprise in 2022, it could mean taking the Steelers' defense to an even higher level.
There are pretty high expectations being placed on Witherspoon by Steeler Nation heading into the 2022 season, as the team has not re-signed previous #1 cornerback Joe Haden and elected to not draft a cornerback in the 2022 NFL Draft either. This means there will be eyes all over Witherspoon to see if he can build on his play from the second half of 2021.
Do you think Witherspoon is the Steelers' "Best-Kept Secret" heading into the 2022 season? Let us know what you think about Witherspoon and his potential below!
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