Report: Seahawks Sign CB Artie Burns to One-Year Deal
The Seahawks have reportedly added cornerback Artie Burns on a one-year contract, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. The deal is worth $2 million and comes less than 24 hours after D.J. Reed's decision to join the Jets.
Measuring in at 6-foot, 197 pounds with 331/4-inch arms, Burns may not necessarily be Reed's successor in Seattle's starting lineup, but he's a former first-round selection who played well down the stretch in 2021. Taken by the Steelers with pick No. 25 in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Miami alum has dealt with inconsistency woes for most of his six-year career, losing his starting job in Pittsburgh during the 2018 season and subsequently being phased out of sub packages and special teams the following year.
Before that, in his first two seasons, Burns surrendered a combined 57.9 completion percentage with opponents averaging a passer rating of 90.6. He recorded 20 pass breakups and picked off four passes over that period and, most importantly, stayed healthy while doing so.
Good health, unfortunately, did not persist when he landed in Chicago for the 2020 season, as Burns suffered a torn ACL in an August practice and missed the entire campaign. However, the Bears, who barely got their eyes on him, reunited with Burns on a one-year, $990,000 contract the following offseason.
This connected Burns with current Seahawks defensive associate head coach Sean Desai, who served as Chicago's defensive coordinator in 2021 after coaching the team's safeties the year prior. Under Desai, Burns was active for the first four weeks of the schedule but did not see any action on defense. He exclusively played special teams from Weeks 1 to 11, racking up a pair of tackles.
Eventually, with Kindle Vildor struggling, Burns was inserted into the starting lineup for a Thanksgiving matchup with the Lions. Lining up against receivers Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond, Burns allowed three catches on five targets for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Shaky numbers aside, Desai and company saw enough to let the young corner maintain his newfound role. He started every game from that point forward—save for a Week 15 bout he missed after landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list—and impressed with his play, holding opponents scoreless when looking his way to the tune of a 52.7 completion rate. This includes a stellar performance in a Week 16 win over the Seahawks, in which he went toe-to-toe with DK Metcalf and allowed just one grab for zero yards.
Now, Burns will follow Desai to the Pacific Northwest and enter a system that should be very familiar to him. Working directly with pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Karl Scott, the soon-to-be 27-year old is set to compete with Sidney Jones, Nigel Warrior and others for a job on the new-look Seahawks defense.
