5 Steelers free agents Pittsburgh needs to bring back

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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 16: James Washington #13 of the Pittsburgh Steelers catches the ball for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 16, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

4. WR James Washington

The franchise has had few problems when it comes to drafting wide receivers. In 2018, the Steelers used a second-round pick on Oklahoma State standout James Washington. His four-year resume may be a bit underwhelming. But he offers something that the team could certainly use more of and that’s the big play.

In four seasons, Washington has averaged a solid 14.3 yards per reception. He’s played in 60 regular-season games and caught 111 passes for 1,629 yards and 11 scores. It’s worth noting that his best year came in 2019 when former college teammate Mason Rudolph was the starting quarterback for most of the year. Washington finished with 44 receptions for 735 yards and three touchdowns – averaging 16.7 yards per catch.

3. CB Ahkello Witherspoon

Back in September, the Steelers sent a fifth-round draft choice to the Seattle Seahawks for cornerback Akhello Witherspoon (via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra). And while he didn’t see a lot of action during his early days with the team, he wound up having a pretty good finish for a Steelers’ defense that wound up being pretty underwhelming when it was all said and done.

The five-year pro totaled 15 tackles and a team-high three interceptions in nine regular-season outings with the club. He also tied for the team lead with nine passes defensed. All of those numbers came in Pittsburgh’s final eight regular-season contests in which Witherspoon made three starts. He started on Sunday night at Kansas City and finished with two stops in the Steelers’ 42-21 loss.

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