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Artie Burns

Latest On Seahawks’ CBs Room

August 12th, 2022 at 9:31pm CST by Ely Allen

The cornerback position group in Seattle is one of the more intriguing in the NFL this year. The Seahawks look to put together a formidable group of corners with last year’s trade acquisition, a veteran attempting a comeback, and two mid-round rookies. 

With D.J. Reed leaving for the Jets, Tre Flowers to the Bengals, and Bless Austin in Denver, the Seahawks return only three cornerbacks who started games in 2021 for the team: Sidney Jones, Tre Brown, and John Reid. To fill out the roster, Seattle brought in Artie Burns as a free agent and drafted Cincinnati’s Coby Bryant and Texas-San Antonio’s Tariq Woolen in back-to-back rounds.

Jones was a second-round pick out of Washington back in 2017 for Philadelphia. He only appeared in one game of his rookie season due to an Achilles injury, but received a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Eagles. A nagging hamstring injury kept him from consistently contributing during his sophomore season, but he was able to start four games that year for Philadelphia. An injury to starter Ronald Darby gave Jones an opportunity in Year 3, but another hamstring injury sidelined him and Jones was cut just prior to the 2020 season having only started eight games for the Eagles.

Jones signed with Jacksonville and started six games for the Jaguars, but, once again, injuries held him out of multiple games. The Jaguars extended his contract in March 2021 just to trade Jones five month later to the Seahawks. In Seattle, Jones finally found himself healthy, appearing in all but one game and starting 11. Jones is currently taking some time off the field after sustaining a concussion in practice, but he is is expected to return to a starting role in 2022.

Burns is the other cornerback running with the ones this offseason. Burns is a former first-round pick that many in Pittsburgh will regard as a bit of a disappointment. Burns started his career in Pittsburgh as the No. 3 cornerback behind William Gay and Ross Cockrell. He eventually replaced fellow rookie Sean Davis as the starting nickelback and, in his first career start, picked off Joe Flacco for the Steelers’ first interception by a defensive back that season. Burns was a full-time starter in his second season before losing playing time to Davis, Coty Sensabaugh, Mike Hilton, and Cameron Sutton over the next two years. Pittsburgh declined Burns’ fifth-year option and allowed him to walk in free agency.

Burns signed with the Bears but was carted off the practice field with a torn ACL weeks before the season started. He re-signed with the Bears and, after getting small morsels of special teams snaps in the team’s first 10 games, Burns started six of Chicago’s final seven games last season. Following the dismantling of the Bears’ coaching staff after the 2021 season, Burns followed former Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai to Seattle, where Desai would take the role of associate head coach/defensive assistant. Seattle seemed to notice how Burns was progressing in Desai’s defense and decided that bringing him in could certainly benefit the Seahawks secondary.

“We still feel like he is an ascending player and, sure enough, he has familiarity with the scheme from being in Chicago last year,” defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt said, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “You’ve seen that benefit pay off since he has been here. He has great command, helps out the young guys.”

Although Jones and Burns will slot in as the starters going into the season, Burns’ influence on “the young guys” is crucial as first- and second-year players fill out the depth chart just behind them. Brown is entering his second season out of Oklahoma. Brown’s rookie season saw two separate stints on injured reserve, but he started three of the five games he appeared in. Add to the roster the two rookies, Bryant and Woolen. Bryant was a playmaker for the Bearcats en route to winning last year’s Jim Thorpe Award for the best defensive back in college football. Woolen made the switch from wide receiver to cornerback while with the Roadrunners. He put together a productive college career but really shot up draft boards with a 4.26 40-yard dash time and a 42-inch vertical at the NFL Combine. All three will play significant roles in the Seahawks secondary, along with veteran free agent addition Justin Coleman.

Rounding out the current roster is Reid, former Cowboys’ fifth-round pick Mike Jackson, and undrafted rookies Elijah Jones and Josh Valentine-Turner. With a top six of Jones, Burns, Brown, Bryant, Woolen, and Coleman, it’s going to be a tough run for Reid, Jackson, Jones, or Valentine-Turner to make the final roster. After spending last year with the Seahawks, Reid may be in the best position to push Coleman for a spot, but Coleman has seniority and experience over Reid.

An injury-riddled Washington native returning as starter, a fallen star from Miami looking for a resurgence, and a host of young go-getters with everything to prove, this secondary is a bit of an island of misfit toys. The Seahawks may need some minor miracles on offense to put them in playoff contention, though, which means it’s the perfect time to experiment with some interesting projects, like they are at cornerback, to see what they can make work.

NFC West Notes: Hawks, Davis-Price, Rams

June 11th, 2022 at 8:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not big on making big cornerback investments, with Richard Sherman‘s 2014 extension the exception, the Seahawks have some questions at the position ahead of training camp. A year after the team let Shaquill Griffin walk in free agency, 2021 starter D.J. Reed joined the Jets in March. The Seahawks did not use a first- or second-day draft pick at corner and, while they brought back Justin Coleman in the slot, have some uncertainty in how they will replace Reed. One option will be Artie Burns, the former Steelers first-round pick who signed a one-year, $2MM deal. Burns, 27, lined up opposite Sidney Jones with Seattle’s first-team defense at minicamp, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. Burns, who worked as a late-season starter with the Bears last season, has not been looked upon as a primary starter since the Steelers benched him in 2018. A pair of fourth-round picks — second-year cover man Tre Brown and rookie Coby Bryant — loom as options as well. Brown did not participate in minicamp, due to the knee injury that ended his rookie slate. After nearly four years after his Steelers starter run wrapped, Burns has a chance to carve out a key role with his third team.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • The 49ers‘ Tyrion Davis-Price third-round pick was somewhat surprising, but bolstering a backfield featuring other notable assets may be a two-fold solution. While the 49ers have starter Elijah Mitchell, backup Jeff Wilson and 2021 third-rounder Trey Sermon, Albert Breer of SI.com notes the selection of the LSU running back choice doubled as an “olive branch” of sorts to Deebo Samuel. Kyle Shanahan using Samuel as a between-the-tackles back last season is believed to be one of the gripes the disgruntled wide receiver had when he made his trade request in April. Davis-Price joining the backfield will provide more insurance so that Samuel — his 6.2 yards-per-carry figure notwithstanding — will not be needed for such a role in 2022. The 49ers continue to work toward a Samuel extension.
  • The Rams‘ big-ticket extensions for Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp will create a bit of cap room in 2022. The defending Super Bowl champions are gaining $3.63MM in space, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, with Donald tied to a $24MM cap number and Kupp tethered to a $17.8MM figure. Los Angeles’ Donald and Kupp deals occurred two days apart. Donald is now the game’s highest-paid non-quarterback, while Kupp’s new pact checks in at $26.7MM per year — fourth among wideouts — and carries a receiver-high $75MM guaranteed.
  • Shifting back to the Seahawks, they set to return their 2021 guard duo — Gabe Jackson and Damien Lewis — but their oldest O-lineman will be returning from offseason knee surgery, per Condotta. Jackson, 30, missed OTAs and the Seahawks’ minicamp because of the procedure. The former Raiders starter is going into his ninth season. Because of the new contract the Seahawks gave Jackson last year, he is set to count $9MM toward their 2022 cap. Jackson only missed one game in his first Seahawks season.
  • Staying on the Seahawks’ O-line, the team will feature a right tackle competition in camp. Rookie Abraham Lucas will vie for the job against second-year blockers Jake Curhan and Stone Forsythe, Condotta adds. A former UDFA, Curhan started five games last season. Forsythe, who has mostly worked as a left tackle during his short career, played just 14 offensive snaps as a rookie. Second-year Seattle OC Shane Waldron said he does not have an issue starting two rookies at tackle; No. 9 overall pick Charles Cross is set to succeed Duane Brown on the left side.

Seahawks To Sign Artie Burns

March 16th, 2022 at 9:08am CST by Zachary Links

Former Chicago cornerback Artie Burns is headed to Seattle. Burns has agreed to sign with the Seahawks on a one-year $2MM deal (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). 

[RELATED: Jets Sign Ex-Seahawks CB DJ Reed]

The Bears initially signed Burns in 2020, but the former Steelers first-round pick suffered a torn ACL that led to an IR placement last summer. After a couple more roster moves, he found his way into eleven regular season games last year, including six starts. He finished out 2021 with 23 tackles, one tackle for a loss, and six passes defensed.

The Seahawks have just lost cornerback D.J. Reed to the Jets, marking the second straight year that they’ve lost their No. 1 CB. Seattle did manage to re-sign Sidney Jones, but Jones and Burns won’t be enough to hold down the secondary. The cornerback position still figures to be a priority for the Seahawks over the next few waves of free agency as well as the April draft.

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/21/21

December 21st, 2021 at 10:49pm CST by Ely Allen

Once again, we’ve had a busy day of moves on and off the reserve/COVID-19 list. Here are the players who were placed on the list or activated off of it today:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Dalton Keene (remains on IR)

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Washington Football Team

Bears To Sign WR Breshad Perriman

September 1st, 2021 at 11:56am CST by Sam Robinson

Not long after his Lions release, Breshad Perriman landed another deal with an NFC North squad. The Bears agreed to terms with the veteran wide receiver on a one-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

This will mark Perriman’s sixth team, though his Lions stint did not produce a regular-season cameo. Detroit cut Perriman ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, doing so despite guaranteeing him $2MM earlier this year. The former first-round pick will now try to carve out a role in Chicago.

Although Perriman did not impress the Lions, with a training camp injury impeding his Motor City progress, he has surpassed 500 receiving yards in each of the past two years — doing so with the Buccaneers and Jets.

The former Ravens draftee will join a Bears team looking for targets alongside Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney. Excepting Mooney, Chicago’s receiver room is filled with veteran presences. The team signed both Marquise Goodwin and Damiere Byrd this year, and both made the Bears’ 53-man roster.

Additionally, the Bears will bring back cornerback Artie Burns, Schefter adds (via Twitter). They created one roster spot by moving Danny Trevathan to IR, and Burns will rejoin the team’s active roster. The Bears initially signed Burns in 2020, but the former Steelers first-round pick suffered a torn ACL that led to an IR placement last summer. They re-signed him in March only to cut him Tuesday. Burns is now back with the team.

Bears Finalize Roster

August 31st, 2021 at 8:38pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bears reduced their roster to 53 players today, making the following moves:

Released

Released from IR

Waived

Waived/Injured

Contract Details: Dunlap, Bills, Texans, Burns

April 4th, 2021 at 9:27pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Let’s catch up on some of the latest contract details from around the league:

  • Seahawks DE Carlos Dunlap: Two-years, $13.6MM. This had previously been reported as $16.6MM, but it turns out Seattle got Dunlap back for a few million cheaper than that, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. It’s actually a five-year pact with three years that automatically void for cap spreading purposes. As previously reported, it has $8.5MM in guaranteed money. Dunlap was set to have a $14.1MM cap charge for 2021 before the Seahawks cut him and then re-signed him to this less expensive deal.
  • Bills LB Tyler Matakevich: One-year extension. Buffalo gave their special teams ace a one-year extension through the 2022 season, which lowered his 2021 cap number to $2.95MM from $3.7MM, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic tweets. His base salary for 2021 is now fully guaranteed. He’ll count for $3.25MM against the 2022 cap, but there will only be $750K in dead money if he’s released.
  • Texans CB Tavierre Thomas: Two-years, $4MM. We now have details on this contract, as Thomas will be getting $2MM in guaranteed money, Wilson tweets. Not bad for a player who prior to 2020 was mostly a special teams guy. He ended up playing almost 20 percent of the defensive snaps for the Browns last year as they dealt with injuries in their secondary. He got a $1MM signing bonus, a $1MM guaranteed salary for 2021, and a non-guaranteed $1.5MM salary for 2022 with $250K in per game active roster bonuses for each season.
  • Bears CB Artie Burns: One-year, $990K. The financial terms on this one were previously not reported, and it turns out the former first-round pick only got the veteran’s minimum from Chicago, Wilson tweets. The 25th pick of the 2016 draft by the Steelers got over $1MM to sign with the Bears last offseason, but then tore his ACL in August before playing a down for the team.

Bears Re-Sign Artie Burns

March 26th, 2021 at 2:22pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have re-signed Artie Burns on a one-year deal, per a club announcement. The cornerback joined Chicago last year, but never made it to the field. 

Burns, 26 in May, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Steelers. Expectations were high for the first-round pick, but his role in the Steelers’ defense dwindled over time. With 32 starts to his credit, he joined the Bears last year, but wound up tearing his ACL in August.

Burns played on just 6% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps in 2019, so he’s really two years removed from standard safety play. He’ll look to bounce back this year and add to his career totals of 149 tackles, four interceptions and 27 pass breakups. Playing alongside old University of Miami pal Deon Bush may help as he gets reacquainted.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/20/20

August 20th, 2020 at 5:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon:

Carolina Panthers

  • Claimed (from Bills): K/P Kaare Vedvik
  • Waived: TE Andrew Vollert

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Football Team

Bears CB Artie Burns Tears ACL

August 18th, 2020 at 2:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears will be without one of their offseason additions. Artie Burns suffered a torn ACL during practice, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Tuesday tests confirmed the diagnosis, which will end the cornerback’s season.

A former Steelers first-round pick, Burns signed a one-year deal worth just more than $1MM. This was to be a comeback bid of sorts for Burns, who did not do well to justify his draft slot in Pittsburgh.

Chicago cut Prince Amukamara earlier this year and was counting on Burns to play a role in its secondary. The team drafted Utah’s Jaylon Johnson in Round 2, however. Despite this being a difficult year for rookies to transition to the pro game, the Day 2 selection may be asked to contribute from the start.

Burns, 25, has made 32 career starts. But he trended down with the Steelers as his career progressed. The ex-Miami Hurricane prospect played just 6% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps last season and will now have to wait until 2021 to resume his career. Notable veteran corners remain available in free agency. Logan Ryan, Aqib Talib, Dre Kirkpatrick and Trumaine Johnson represent the biggest names out there.

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