Former Steelers CB Shining With Rams

Former Steelers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon is on a tear with the Los Angeles Rams to start off the 2023 NFL season. Pittsburgh cut Witherspoon this offseason, and he found a new home with the Rams. Coming into Sunday’s games, he was second in the NFL in lowest passer rating allowed with just 20.2 and is playing similarly to how he did down the stretch when he joined the Steelers in 2021.

Of course, his 2022 did not go as planned, as Witherspoon suffered a hamstring injury early in the year against the Browns. After struggling and returning, he reinjured his hamstring, forcing Witherspoon to miss most of the season. To say the least, the first year of a two-year deal did not go well for Witherspoon, but he now has found some extra life with the Rams.

“Yeah, I had an aggravation sometime in the bye week,” Witherspoon said. “I returned against the Eagles and felt great playing out there. But sometime when I got back from the bye week, I tweaked it again, and that was that.”

The Steelers brought Witherspoon along slowly in 2021 after he was acquired right before the start of the season. He played just once in the first ten weeks but became a regular performer and played well down the stretch run, leading to him getting a contract extension and entering the 2022 season as the presumptive starter.

In 13 total games with the Steelers, Witherspoon had 35 tackles, one for a loss, 11 passes defended, and four interceptions. But Witherspoon has found that quality level of play with the Rams. On Sunday, he made a gorgeous pass deflection to save a touchdown early in the game. His length and ball skills have proven to be a massive boon for a Rams secondary that came into the year without many solutions. So far, he has two interceptions and will look to impact the two teams’ matchup next week in Los Angeles.