The Miami Dolphins are continuing to kick over rocks and dig around to find players to fill in the pieces on their roster. They are doing just that to kick off the second week of free agency.
After the first wave of signings to open the league's new year, the Dolphins still have needs in the secondary, offensive line, and especially the defensive line, but they have at least taken a look at the void at cornerback.
Miami is reportedly signing former Seattle Seahawks cornerback and former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick, Artie Burns, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday.
How Burns is still in the NFL is anyone's guess. Even when he was playing a full season, he has done it only one time in his career, he was an average boundary corner. Regardless, he is joining the Dolphins.
Burns was taken 25th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh. In his rookie season, he started 9 of 16 games with three interceptions, but it would be the highlight of his career. One interception the following season in 2017 would be the last one he registered.
Burns fits a profile the Dolphins seem to be able to afford. A player who is running out of time in the NFL and has injury concerns. In the last four seasons, three with Seattle and one with the Chicago Bears, Burns has appeared in only 32 games, four of the last year. Of those, he has started only 7 in total.
Miami Dolphins taking another flyer on injury-prone veteran cornerback
It's hard to understand Chris Grier's concept of signing players with injury concerns. The Dolphins put themselves in a bind later in the year when nothing changes, and the player is out for an extended period of time.
Burns' signing seems more like a backup plan should the NFL Draft next month not pan out the way he hopes. It almost seems as though the plan is to draft a cornerback with one of the first three selections they have, if not the first.