According to one of his former teammates, the Packers' star safety, Morgan Burnett, is expected to sign with the Steelers on Tuesday.
Per former Green Bay wide receiver and current NFL Network analyst, James Jones, Burnett will be flying into Pittsburgh to meet with the Steelers about their vacant free safety position. Jones told the network he expects Burnett to sign with the Steelers, later putting it on Twitter:
Source tells me #Packers FA Safety Morgan Burnett is headed to the #Steelers Flying out tomorrow morning to complete the deal @nflnetwork @NFL
— James Jones (@89JonesNTAF) March 20, 2018
That elicited this response from Cameron Heyward:
— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) March 20, 2018
And this from Martavis Bryant:
Super green light pedal to the metal
— Martavis Bryant (@ThaBestUNO) March 20, 2018
Burnett is considered by many to be the star of the safety position in free agency. The former Georgia Tech star missed four games in 2017 but had 68 tackles, three passes defensed and a forced fumble. In 2016, he recorded 93 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and nine passes defensed.
Burnett, who turned 29 in January, has nine interceptions and 44 passes defensed in his eight NFL seasons, all spent with Green Bay. He is coming off a four-year, $24.75 million contract with Green Bay that he signed in 2013.
The Packers have played Burnett at both strong and free safety in his career after selecting him in the third round of the 2010 draft. But he has spent the majority of his time at strong safety, a position manned by Sean Davis for most of the past two seasons. The signing of Burnett could mean the Steelers will move Davis to free safety and scrap any plans on shifting corner Cameron Sutton to safety.
The signing of Burnett would be somewhat out of character for the Steelers, who typically like to sign free agents -- if at all -- who are coming off their first NFL contract. But with the team's window with Ben Roethlisberger closing, the addition of Burnett makes sense in terms of adding a veteran. Burnett has appeared in 11 career playoff games and owns a Super Bowl ring -- from 2010 against the Steelers -- though he did not appear in that game after landing on injured reserve during his rookie season with a torn ACL.
If there is a knock against Burnett, it's that he has been prone to miss time in his career, including four games last season with hamstring and groin injuries. He also missed a game each in 2014 and 2016, and multiple games in 2013 and 2015.
Burnett would mark the second free-agent signing in two days for the Steelers if he puts pen to paper. The team officially signed linebacker Jon Bostic on Monday after agreeing to terms with him on Sunday.
The Steelers entered the offseason in need of an inside linebacker and safety in free agency after Ryan Shazier suffered a career-threatening injury Dec. 4 at Cincinnati and both Mike Mitchell and Robert Golden were released last week.
The signings of Bostic and Burnett could drastically change the Steelers' draft plans. With two capable starters in place, the team could forego taking a player at either of those positions next month, opening the door to perhaps select Roethlisberger's eventual replacement if a quarterback the team likes is available. The Steelers have shown an interest in Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph, meeting with him at his pro day last week.
