The Pittsburgh Steelers signed unrestricted free agent safety Morgan Burnett to a three-year contract. Burnett spent the last eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers, the team that drafted him in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the 71st pick overall after they traded up 15 spots to select him.
Burnett played in 102 games for the Packers, starting all of them, including 12 in 2017. He missed time during the season with a hamstring injury, but returned to action to finish out the year.
Burnett amassed 683 tackles with the Packers, 485 of them solo stops, nine interceptions, 7.5 sacks, 44 passes defensed, nine fumble recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown, and eight forced fumbles. Burnett finished with 68 tackles in 2017, and in the Steelers last second 31-28 win over the Packers at Heinz Field on Nov. 26, he had nine tackles and forced a Le’Veon Bell fumble that the Packers recovered.
A seasoned veteran, Burnett wore the communication helmet for the Packers’ defense last year, making all the calls, and was referred to by people within the Packers organization as a ‘defensive coordinator’ on the field. He also brings versatility to the position, having played the slot corner.