The Pittsburgh Steelers had high hopes for Artie Burns. They took the Miami cornerback in the 1st round for a reason. His mixture of size, athleticism, and speed was hard to find at that position. A perfect fit for their 3-4 defense where he could go man-to-man on receivers. Sadly after showing some initial promise, the young defender seemed to sink into obscurity until he was finally benched last season.
One would think the Steelers were glad to have washed their hands of him.
That isn’t entirely true. Chicago Bears defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend has connections to Pittsburgh. He won a Super Bowl there as a player himself. He knows head coach Mike Tomlin and others there well. That is why he called them to ask about whether Burns was worth a look. The answers he got back were apparently favorable enough to sign off on the move.
“I did talk to Mike T about him. Just looking at the tape and just knowing the history of the guy come out of Miami when he was coming out, you saw a long guy that could run, he would stick his nose in there in the run game, he’s physical, he has man-to-man ability, and that’s all we can look for. And then to be able to talk to guys over there to find out what was wrong, but those things are in the past. He’s here now and it’s my job to see if I can get him better to see if he can help us win.”
Artie Burns will get a fresh start in Chicago
Here’s something to remember. Burns is only 25-years old. He arrived in the league when he was 21, very raw and inexperienced. Why? Well, there’s a story behind that. His father went to prison for cocaine trafficking when he was 11. Then in October of 2015, his junior year of college, his mother died of a heart attack. This left him with no option. Faced with having to take care of his two younger brothers, a girlfriend and a baby of his own, he turned pro.
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While he managed to become a 1st round pick, the pressure that comes along with that on top of having a big family to feed by himself undoubtedly ate into his focus. He never seemed comfortable or confident during his time in Pittsburgh. Townsend seems to think a fresh start with a new team without those expectations will be good for him.
Cornerback figures to be a battleground in training camp. Prince Amukamara is out, leaving one starting spot wide open. Burns will have a chance to get his career back on track.