Getty The Steelers could make a blockbuster trade before the deadline.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could be looking at a potential blockbuster trade at the deadline.
As proposed by CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, a deal that makes “sense” is Pittsburgh trading away third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph along with a 2024 seventh-round pick in exchange for Washington Commanders cornerback William Jackson III and a 2024 sixth-round pick.
“Pittsburgh shouldn’t be in a hurry to forfeit assets for a struggling soon-to-be 30-year-old corner with a high salary, but their secondary could use reinforcements, they liked Jackson coming out of Houston, and they’ve revived former AFC North rivals at this position before,” says Benjamin. “Rudolph, meanwhile, has no role with Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky at QB, but could at least give Washington added insurance for its inevitable 2023 QB competition. Bonus: he grew up rooting for the Commanders!”
Steelers’ Secondary a Major Concern
It’s no secret that the Steelers have some big flaws on the defensive unit. The secondary in particular is a major concern, as Pittsburgh ranks 30th in passing yards and 28th in passing touchdowns allowed. Outside of Cameron Sutton, the Steelers’ top corners all rank in the bottom half in the NFL for all qualifying cornerbacks. Arthur Maulet ranks 68th, Levi Wallace ranks 72nd and Ahkello Weatherspoon ranks 86th among 107 qualifying cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Shoring up the secondary with the addition of Jackson could keep the Steelers in the playoff hunt. The 30-year-old cornerback signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Commanders during the 2021 offseason. The benefit to the Steelers — or any team looking to make a move for Jackson — is that the contract is front-loaded. Jackson would only count roughly $3.8 million towards a team’s salary cap this season.
Via Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network:
“A first-round pick of the Bengals in 2016, Jackson signed a three-year, $42 million contract during the 2021 offseason with Washington. It was front-loaded — the Commanders have paid about half of the deal already — and if another team traded for Jackson next week, he would count just $3.8 million against his new team’s salary cap. He has a $5 million base overall this season, but six weeks of it are accounted for.”
That same report indicates that there is interest from “several teams” and that a trade could happen “long before” the deadline on Nov. 1.
“Sources say the former big-ticket, free-agent cornerback would like a new home, and the Commanders have engaged in trade talks centered around him with hopes of making that happen. There has been interest in Jackson from several teams, sources say. With the NFL trade deadline looming on Nov. 1, the likelihood is that Jackson is traded long before then.”
Jackson Frustrated by Commanders’ Defensive Scheme
It’s worth noting that Jackson has actually been underwhelming this season — even more than the Steelers’ cornerbacks — producing a 49.6 defensive grade and ranking 92nd of 107 qualifying cornerbacks.
However, he did produce a 71.4 defensive grade during the 2020 season as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals — ranking 20th among all players at his position — and also posted an astounding 90.2 defensive grade in 2017, ranking fourth among all corners.
As noted by NFL.com, that may have a lot to do with the Commanders’ defensive scheme.
“Once a key cog in the Commanders’ secondary, Jackson is not frustrated specifically with the team. Rather, he considers himself more of a man-to-man cornerback and Washington has run a lot of zone thus far. When Jackson signed, he envisioned himself as a true lockdown corner, covering a team’s top receiver.”
Considering the Steelers have little use for Rudolph with Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky on the roster, they might as well flip him for a viable cornerback that can be used for the remainder of the season.