Report: Steelers Plan to Cut CB William Jackson III

The Steelers are planning to release cornerback William Jackson III after acquiring him in a midseason trade, according to a report by Chad Forbes.

William Jackson III was acquired from the Washington Commanders back in November for essentially nothing, as they moved a conditional sixth-round pick for a conditional seventh-round pick. However, those conditions were tied to playing time, and since Jackson never suited up in a game for the Steelers, those picks will not hit.

Jackson came over from Washington and practiced in some capacity only a few times. He was placed on injured reserve shortly after being acquired with a nagging back injury and never played for the rest of the season. As such, the release is not much of a surprise.

In 75 NFL games, Jackson has five interceptions, 205 tackles, six for a loss, one sack, and 51 passes defended. This season, he has 16 tackles, one for a loss, and two passes defended. His PFF grade is a career-worst 49.6 this season. Releasing him will save over $12 million on the cap, while there will be no dead cap hit for the Steelers.

A first-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016, the 30-year-old Jackson has been a stalwart in NFL secondaries ever since. He started 48 games over four seasons with the Bengals from 2017-20. He signed with Washington as a free agent in 2021.