Report: Commanders trade William Jackson III to Steelers originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

William Jackson III’s time in Washington appears to have come to an end. 

Ahead of the Nov. 1 trade deadline, the Commanders traded Jackson to the Steelers. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was first to report the move.

Washington will also send Pittsburgh a conditional 2025 7th-round pick for a conditional 2025 6th-round pick, per The Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala.

With the trade, Washington lets go of one of its prized free-agent signings from the 2020 offseason. The Commanders signed Jackson to a three-year, $42 million deal to fortify its secondary, but Jackson’s tenure with the franchise was far from successful. 

Traditionally a man-to-man cornerback, Jackson struggled to produce in Washington’s zone-heavy scheme under defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Jackson was pulled from the Commanders’ Week 5 loss to the Titans in the first quarter and has not played a snap since. 

In his absence, second-year corner Benjamin St. Juste has emerged as a reliable starter opposite Kendall Fuller. St. Juste began the year as Washington’s starting slot corner but has adapted well, shifting to the outside. Rachad Wildgoose, Christian Holmes and Danny Johnson represent Washington’s cornerback depth behind Fuller and St. Juste following the Jackson trade.

Jackson joins a cornerback room in Pittsburgh featuring starters Cameron Sutton and Ahkello Witherspoon as well as Arthur Maulet, Levi Wallace and James Pierre.