Cornerback Artie Burns rejoined the AFC by signing a contract with the Miami Dolphins this offseason. Burns was set to face the team that drafted him, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in Week 15 on Monday Night Football.
But after Wednesday, it appears Burns isn’t going to be playing against anybody this season.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Burns suffered a knee injury at a Dolphins training camp practice. According to Schefter, the team is concerned it’s a season-ending ACL tear.
“Dolphins veteran CB Artie Burns, who injured his knee at practice today and left on crutches, is feared to have a torn ACL, per source,” Schefter posted on X. “Burns is now awaiting an MRI and second opinion to confirm.”
https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1948070103649604029
The Steelers drafted Burns at No. 25 overall in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. After four seasons in Pittsburgh, he signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Bears, the first of which he spent on injured reserve.
The past three seasons, Burns played for the Seattle Seahawks.
In 90 NFL games, Burns has posted 199 combined tackles, including eight tackles for loss, 38 pass defenses and four interceptions. Three of those four picks came in his rookie 2016 season.
Burns signed a one-year, $1.355 million contract to join the Dolphins this offseason.
CB Artie Burns Expected to Miss 2025 NFL season
Burns was a controversial selection in the first round of the 2016 draft. Analysts mostly identified the cornerback as a high-risk, high-reward prospect.
Unfortunately, outside of three interceptions as a rookie, Burns failed to live up to his first-round expectations. The Steelers didn’t exercise the cornerback’s fifth-year option. He then left in free agency.
Over the past three seasons, Burns found a home in Seattle. But he only played in more than four games during one of those campaigns.
Last season, Burns was on the practice squad for a large portion of the year. He also dealt with a toe injury.
Overall, Burns appeared on defense for 51 snaps during four games in 2024.
In that small sample, though, Burns did play well. According to the Pro Football Focus player grades, Burns posted an 89.6 coverage grade last season.
The cornerback’s overall grade was the best among any player who had a snap on Seattle’s defense in 2024.
Steelers Trying to Develop Joey Porter Jr. Opposite 2 Veteran CBs
The Steelers have gone through several starting cornerbacks since the failure to develop Burns. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, a lot of them have been failures as well.
Patrick Peterson, Levi Wallace, and Donte Jackson are a few veteran cornerbacks who come to mind who have spent brief times in Pittsburgh since 2019. The team also tried Ahkello Witherspoon as a reclamation project without much success.
Others such as Steven Nelson, Cameron Sutton and Mike Hilton have been better but eventually left in free agency.
This season, the Steelers will again try a blend of veterans and developed talent at cornerback.
In 2023, the Steelers selected cornerback Joey Porter Jr. at No. 32 overall in the second round. Porter will start with veterans Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay this upcoming season.
Ramsey could play both outside cornerback and nickel. Porter and Slay are expected to line up primarily on the outside.
During the last season where he had more than 100 defensive snaps, Burns primarily lined up in the slot.
