Steelers Stunning Trade For Struggling William Jackson III
The Steelers have been very active this trade deadline. Interestingly enough, they are both selling and buying. What can this addition do for the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Steelers Add Depth
This afternoon on November first, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been active with the trade deadline upon us. This afternoon, Ian Rapoport said that the Pittsburgh Steelers are trading for the Washington Commander’s cornerback, William Jackson III. Pittsburgh finally adds depth to an unpleasant position.
If you read my article ‘Breaking Down The Steelers Decisions In A Critical 2022 Trade Deadline’, I outlined what positions the Steelers should go after if they were buying. One position was the cornerback position. However, William Jackson III wasn’t exactly on my radar.
Grading The Trade
William Jackson III has been, for lack of better words, mediocre. Most of Washington’s fanbase wanted him gone. There have been multiple videos of him getting beat by wide receivers. Pittsburgh needed massive help in the secondary, especially after a despicable performance giving up six catches for 156 yards and three touchdowns.
Ideally, I would’ve liked somebody like Donte Jackson from the Panthers. I would give this trade a B- with everything I’ve seen from William Jackson III. I have it in this category because the Steelers added depth to the position they desperately needed. It is not the caliber of player I was hoping for, which is why it falls under B-
Of the 110 CBs rated by @PFF this season, William Jackson III is rated 94th. That, however, is good enough to be rated higher than both Levi Wallace and Ahkello Witherspoon. So he’s got that going for him. Which is nice. pic.twitter.com/Hy4XlE36kF — Chris Mack (@THEChrisMack) November 1, 2022
The Future In Pittsburgh
It is not the Steelers’ only trade today. They also traded Chase Claypool to the Bears for a Second-Round pick. Many thought Pittsburgh was in full rebuild mode, with them trading away Chase Claypool for draft picks.
Pittsburgh shot down that notion minutes later by going out and trading for a cornerback they needed. Interesting point; Teryl Austin was also the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, while William Jackson III was there.
Teryl Austin coached William Jackson in 2018 with the #Bengals. Surely believes he can help him turn things around with the #Steelers. https://t.co/k5SLqTrq45 — Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 1, 2022
Final Thoughts
I assume beggars can’t be choosers. Pittsburgh ultimately went out and added a guy at a position that I believed someone needed to be added. Is he high caliber? No, but he does rank higher than the guys we have at the position now.
I stand by my B- ranking. It was a decent trade, especially seeing what they got for him. It was rumored, however, that the Commanders might release him. It will be interesting to see how the Steelers implement him in the defense, with Teryl Austin coaching him again.