For months it looked like the Rams, due to deadhead limitations, were going to roll with a very young secondary. That seemed dangerous, especially considering some of their dead cap comes from them unceremoniously trading the future hall of famer. Jalen Ramsey earlier this year.
The Rams needed some veterans somewhere on the roster and today they found a quality vet who can elevate the secondary and take pressure off their young corners in the former Steeler, Niner and Seahawk. Ahkello Witherspoon.
Free agent CB Ahkello Witherspoon is signing with the #Ariesby source
At 6-2, 208 pounds, Witherspoon is a big corner who has been very productive. In 13 games with the #Steelmakers over the last two seasons, he has accumulated 11 PBU and 4 INT. pic.twitter.com/26OSi596fh
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 29, 2023
Passes Ahkello Witherspoon
Ahkello Witherspoon has had a solid career with 152 total tackles, 35 pass deflections, 8 picks and a touchdown. On the one hand, he has much more experience than Cobie Durant, Robert Rochelli His name was Kendrick. It is also much more capable than David Long Jr, BUT that doesn’t mean much either, as it has some red flags on the other hand. There are reasons why he was released in May and was VERY available.
Witherspoon’s stats look great when looking at the raw numbers, but there’s a reason this is his fourth team in five seasons. He has been injured often and missed seven games last season. When he’s on the field, he’s prone to burnout, and if fans got restless watching Jalen Ramsey during coverage last season, Witherspoon could cause full-on cardiac arrest.
For PFF, allowed 22 sacks on 29 targets last season (again missing seven games), and posted a 45.4 grade, which isn’t great. The general vibe among Steelers fans is that they would drive him to the airport since Bane is no longer there to create an EXPLOSION at Heinz Field (sadly now Acrisure Stadium). So for the Rams, this news is a mixed bag.
In 2020 and 2021, PFF gave him overall grades of 80.2 and 75.9, respectively.
He certainly has potential to bring savvy to the secondary and Raheem Morris likely won’t use him in the STAR role as he likely won’t be with the team for long. Hopefully, this signing works out, but for now, the Rams have to wait until the 28-year-old is ready to turn it around.
