Former No. 1 pick Burns receives bonus
There were no Brinks trucks in sight, no bank deposit slips.
The Steelers made a substantial payment Sunday to a former No. 1 draft choice, an investment that would appear to ensure their interest in retaining his services.
Cornerback Artie Burns, a No. 1 draft choice in 2016 who has started 31 of 48 games with the Steelers, was paid the $ 800,000 roster bonus he was due, on the third day of training camp. But that does not guarantee the payment will buy his way on to the 53- man roster.
Burns lost his starting job last season after a couple of disastrous gaffes in Cincinnati in October and never regained the confidence of the coaching staff — or in himself, according to those same coaches. He comes to training camp with a new role: Backing up new starter Steven Nelson and hoping he can contribute as an extra defensive back in sub- package defenses.
It is a different assignment for Burns, who spent his previous three seasons working mostly with the first- team defense. Not anymore.
“I’m just here to compete for the job that I want,” Burns said before the first day of practice with pads at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. “That’s pretty much it. I already know what they have for me.”
But the Steelers are going to wait, use training camp as a gauge to see if Burns can put some of his past issues behind him and help the secondary.
For that reason, defensive coordinator Keith Butler called it “a huge camp” for Burns.
“I’m hoping he can come back that if something happens to him that’s not good, that he can shake it off and play,” Butler said.
That has been the biggest problem for Burns, who started only six games last season — just one after he got beat on a long third- down sideline pass in Cincinnati that led to the tying touchdown.
His only other start came in Week 15 against the New England Patriots, but that assignment didn’t last long. He appeared for only four plays and never returned to the game after the Patriots scored on a 63- yard touchdown pass to a wide- open Chris Hogan on their first possession.
Burns is scheduled to count $ 3,051,677 against the salary cap in 2019. If he failed to make the team, he still would count nearly $ 2.1 million against the cap.
“I don’t know if it’s a problem, it’s a problem for everyone, not just him,” Butler said of Burns. “If you’re a corner, man, it’s a tough position. You got to be an iron head. We’ll see how it goes.”
Burns said he has never had a problem with confidence. His first day of practice in pads got off to a good start when he intercepted a deflected pass on the fourth play of the opening goal- line drill.
“I feel like I’ve always been good with it, for sure,” Burns said.
It is a foregone conclusion this will be Burns’ final year with the Steelers. They did not exercise the fifth- year option on his rookie contract, not like they did a year earlier with outside linebacker Bud Dupree, which means Burns will be a free agent after the 2019 season ( if not sooner).
Barring an unforeseen circumstance, he will be just another a long line of cornerbacks who flamed out and never lived up to expectations. Burns will be the 13th of 14 cornerbacks drafted by Mike Tomlin who never received a second multiyear contract with the Steelers
“He’s worked his butt off,” Butler said. “He’s done a lot of good things. But he still gets beat every now and then. That’s the thing that’s tough for him.”
Said Burns: “I just need to show consistency, show my talent, my understanding, to get back out there with the 1s.”
There are no guarantees with Burns, despite his bonus payment.