William Jackson III Returns to Practice, 21-Day Window Open

PITTSBURGH — Steelers cornerback William Jackson III returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since the bye week after being on injured reserve with a back injury, the team announced.

Jackson remains on injured reserve, but his 21-day window is now open. That means that Jackson will have until January 25th to return to the field and be activated from injured reserve. If he does not, he will be out for the season. The back injury nagged Jackson back to his time with the Washington Commanders, forcing him to miss multiple games there.

However, William Jackson practiced early on in his stay with the Steelers. After being traded for a conditional pick, he was then placed on injured reserve shortly thereafter. The Steelers have already comfortably passed the threshold for the conditional pick to trigger this year.

Pittsburgh could use some help at cornerback. Ahkello Witherspoon is still working his way back from a hamstring injury and James Pierre is in concussion protocol. Jackson is the big unknown in the room, but he could add depth and a spark to a unit that could badly need it. Pittsburgh could add him to the active roster as soon as this week if they see fit.