Four days before the regular season ends, William Jackson III finally is taking part in his first game-week practice with Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jackson remains on the injured reserve list because of a back injury, but his return to practice opens a 21-day window during which he can be activated to the 53-man roster.
Functionally, the back end of that window won’t come into play aside from an unlikely run to the AFC championship game for the Steelers (8-8), who need a win at home against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday coupled with losses by the New England Patriots and New York Jets in order to qualify for the postseason as the AFC’s No. 7 seed.
Theoretically, Jackson could come back before the end of the 21-day period, but even as a 30-year-old, seven-year NFL veteran, Jackson likely needs more time to get his body back into game shape and assimilate into the Steelers’ scheme.
Acquired in a trade with the Washington Commanders on Nov. 1, Jackson practiced the following day but has been shut down since. He also missed the final three games of his Washington tenure.
The inactivity has eliminated the conditional compensation the Steelers owe the Commanders for the trade, but Jackson III’s contract calls for a $9.25 million salary in 2023. The Steelers, though, almost certainly would negotiate a lower number if they were interested in Jackson returning.
The Steelers’ top cornerback, Cameron Sutton, is scheduled for unrestricted free agency this spring. Their Nos. 2-3, Levi Wallace and Ahkello Witherspoon, are entering the second and final season of their contracts and are candidates to be released.
A first-round pick whom the Steelers coveted in the 2016 draft (they took Artie Burns instead), Jackson has started 64 of the 75 NFL games he’s played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington.
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