New cornerback William Jackson III looking for change of scenery with Steelers

One of the fastest players in the 2016 NFL Draft class, William Jackson III isn’t showing any signs of slowing down seven years into his pro career.

At least not off the field.

After being traded Tuesday by the Washington Commanders to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jackson hopped in a car and said he made the commute from the nation’s capital in a blazing three hours.

“It was dark, so there was no good scenery,” Jackson said Wednesday afternoon. “But I enjoyed the drive.”

Such was the eagerness to join his new team. Although Jackson went from one last-place team in the 4-4 Commanders to another in the 2-6 Steelers, he didn’t fit into his former team’s defensive scheme and reportedly was set to be released if a trade couldn’t be completed by the Tuesday 4 p.m. deadline.

The Steelers swapped conditional late-round picks with Washington in 2025 to add Jackson for the remainder of this season and possibly longer. His contract runs for another year, although the price tag is a hefty $9.25 million base salary.

“He’s a guy we’ve had a lot of interest in,” coach Mike Tomlin said of the former Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick. “He’s good on the line of scrimmage. He has really good top-end speed. He is an experienced guy, he has experience in the NFL and he’s experienced in the (AFC) North. Obviously, he has to learn what we do, but we’re excited about his inclusion and participation and how quickly he can learn.”

The Steelers added the 30-year-old Jackson just days after their secondary gave up four long touchdown passes in a 35-13 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was in coverage for two of the touchdowns before being benched at halftime. Cornerback Levi Wallace also has struggled at times and has missed games because of a concussion and shoulder injury.

Jackson sat out his final three games in Washington with a back injury, and he was inactive for another game earlier in the year. Still, he didn’t waste time joining his new teammates on the practice field Wednesday.

“He showed up with a great attitude, and it seems like he’ll be able to provide us with more competition and bring a different skill set to the position,” secondary coach Grady Brown said.

Jackson brings experience in press coverage, which made him an unlikely fit in Washington, where the Commanders were using zone coverage in the secondary.

“We feel he fits what we’re going to be doing here,” said defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, who spent part of the 2018 season coaching Jackson in Cincinnati. “He’s really good when he’s healthy. He’s an outstanding cover man. He has length, he has speed, he gets after the football. We have to get him up to speed here in terms of what we’re doing, then we’ll move forward.”

Jackson will have four days of practice next week to get acclimated with the defense before the Steelers play their next game Nov. 13 against the New Orleans Saints.

“We have to figure it out,” he said. “I want to get in and get comfortable and know exactly what I’ve got to do and know the ins and outs of the defense.”

Tomlin has coveted Jackson since the 2016 pre-draft process. At Houston, the 6-foot Jackson led the nation with 23 pass breakups in 2015, and he flashed 4.37 speed in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

“I sat down with Mike T and all of them, and we were talking,” Jackson said. “I thought it was going to happen.”

The Steelers held the No. 24 pick that year. Watching at home with family, Jackson had a good feeling about his destination.

“I kind of figured it was coming,” he said, “but it was Cincinnati.”

The Bengals drafted Jackson one pick before the Steelers’ turn. The Steelers got Artie Burns instead. The Steelers spent the next four seasons playing against Jackson twice a year before he left in free agency in 2021 and signed with Washington.

Jackson maintains he still has the speed that made him a first-round draft pick.

“That never leaves,” he said. “I’ve always been a fast guy all my life. Slow guys can look fast with technique, so it’s all about the technique in this league. That’s what I’ve got to work on.”

He’s happy to do it with the Steelers.

“I’m trying to come in and be the player they want me to be,” he said. “It was a whirlwind. Everything happened so fast.”

Jackson was talking about the trade. He just as easily could have been referencing his drive to Pittsburgh.