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 71^st 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.

Steelers sign LB Jon Bostic to 2-year deal
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed inside linebacker Jon Bostic to a two-year contract.
Details of the deal were not disclosed and it will not be finalized until after Bostic undergoes a physical on Monday.
The 26-year-old Bostic played 14 games for Indianapolis last season, getting 97 tackles and one sack. Bostic injured his right knee against Denver in December and finished the season on injured reserve. Pittsburgh is Bostic’s fifth stop.
Bostic began his career with Chicago after being taken in the second round of the 2013 draft. He played two seasons in Chicago then one in New England before the Patriots traded him to Detroit in 2016. He missed the entire season in Detroit with a foot injury before joining the Colts.
The Steelers are in need of depth at inside linebacker with Ryan Shazier already ruled out for 2018 because of a spinal injury suffered in Cincinnati in December.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have released veterans William Gay, Robert Golden and Mike Mitchell.

Gay has played 11 seasons in the NFL, 10 of them with the Steelers, the team that selected him in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft.

Golden was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2012, and has spent the last six years in the black and gold. He was entering the final year of a three-year contract he signed in 2016.

Mitchell, who has played nine seasons in the NFL, was entering the final year of a five-year contract.

Mitchell originally signed with the Steelers as an unrestricted free agent in 2014. He played in 61 games for the black and gold, starting all of them. Mitchell had four interceptions, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and 23 passes defensed during his time with the Steelers, while also tallying 281 total tackles.

Steelers place franchise tag on Le’Veon Bell for second time
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have put the franchise tag on All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell for a second straight spring, putting his long-term status with the club up in the air.
Bell, a three-time Pro Bowler, accounted for 1,946 total yards and 11 touchdowns for the AFC North champions in 2017. Both Bell and Steelers management said after the season they hoped to get a contract extension done quickly, but failed to do so by Tuesday’s deadline for teams to use the franchise tag.
Bell is scheduled to make $14.54 million in 2018 if he signs the franchise tender and the two sides are unable to reach an agreement on a new deal by the 2018 opener. He opted to skip offseason workouts and training camp last summer before signing the tender on the eve of the regular season.
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