WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — The Pittsburgh Steelers bolstered their secondary on Tuesday, acquiring cornerback William Jackson from Washington in a swap of late-round draft picks.
Pittsburgh sent a conditional sixth-rounder in 2025 to Washington for Jackson and a conditional seventh that year.
Jackson, who signed a three-year contract for $40.5 million before last season, had fallen out of favor with Washington’s coaching staff earlier this season and was benched for performance reasons. Jackson has also been bothered by a back injury, which sidelined him for the past three games — all Commanders victories attributable in part to improved play on defense.
Trading Jackson rather than cutting him allows Washington to save on the salary cap next season.
The Steelers are looking for help in a secondary that has struggled to stay healthy and effective. Pittsburgh effectively benched Ahkello Witherspoon in the second half of last week’s loss to Philadelphia after being beaten on multiple touchdown passes by Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.