The Chicago Bears made their latest move of NFL free agency on Saturday when they signed cornerback Artie Burns. Formerly the 25th pick of the 2016 draft, he spent four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During that time he experienced some early success before finding his job taken away by others on the depth chart. Towards the end in 2019 he was barely playing, his confidence shaken. It was clear he needed a fresh start.
What’s so unfortunate from his perspective is it wasn’t supposed to go like that. He had a plan in mind when it came to his football career. Sadly, real life forced that plan to change. Despite warning from several experts that he wasn’t ready despite a promising 2015 season for Miami, he decided to go pro. Not because he was overconfident but because he had no choice.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN laid it all out back in 2016.
“Burns was an 11-year-old boy when he last saw his dad, who walked out of the living room in the fall of 2006 and said he’d “be right back.” Between school and football, Burns hadn’t found the right time to visit the prison. His father has 11 more years in prison for cocaine trafficking.
It made Burns become the man of the house at a young age, and that maturing process took another steep climb when his mother, Dana Smith, died of a heart attack this past October.
Yet Burns finds himself fueled by loss, almost emboldened by it. He covers wide receivers by day and two generations of family at night. He has taken younger brothers — Thomas, now 16, and Jordan, 13 — to track meets and football practices. He’s scouting Pittsburgh-area schools for them. He’s waiting to sign his rookie contract after which he plans to move girlfriend Ella, 1-year-old son A.J. and his brothers to Pennsylvania full-time.
All this must be carried out. Burns has made promises. Before his mother died, Burns said he would take care of everything, just as she had for so long.”
Artie Burns was forced to grow up too fast
The truth is Burns was forced to become an adult before he even had a chance to experience life as a teenager. It must’ve been an incredible amount of pressure knowing he’d have to enter the NFL at 21-years old with the futures of his siblings on the line. Thanks to a strong performance at the scouting combine, he managed to become a 1st round pick and got a nice payday out of it. However, since then most people view him as an unfortunate bust who was overdrafted.
That doesn’t have to be the case. Burns is still just 24-years old. The age many players are when they hit their second season. He’s entering his fifth. Speed of the game shouldn’t overwhelm him anymore. His challenge is figuring out how to play his position with discipline and intelligence. It’s never been a question of talent with him. Maybe Chuck Pagano, with his deep defensive back history might be just the guy to bring it out.
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