Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source
Steelers 2-a-days: Isaiah Buggs adds youth to D-line; pivotal camp for Artie Burns | TribLIVE.com
Steelers/NFL

Steelers 2-a-days: Isaiah Buggs adds youth to D-line; pivotal camp for Artie Burns

Chris Adamski
1307958_web1_gtr-steelers102-123118
Steelers cornerback Artie Burns plays catch with the fans before the Bengals game Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018 at Heinz Field.
1307958_web1_AP_19130699018571

Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, the Trib will be running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2019 season. The breakdown will go through the roster in mostly-alphabetical order, (at least) two per day, between June 14 and July 26.

DT ISAIAH BUGGS

Experience: Rookie

Contract status: $537,158 cap hit in 2019, the start of a four-year rookie contract

2019 outlook: The Steelers have had remarkable stability at defensive line in recent years — which is great — but that only reinforces that they could use an injection of youth. Also, with L.T. Walton’s departure there is an open spot on the 53-man roster. Buggs was a playmaker among a cadre of future NFL players on the Alabama defense, and his original position coach with the Crimson Tide is Steelers defensive line coach Karl Dunbar. He looks like a good fit as an immediate rotational defensive lineman who perhaps would grow into a bigger role — but then again, people were saying that about the late-round d-lineman the Steelers took from Alabama last year, too, so nothing is assured.

CB ARTIE BURNS

Experience: 4th season

Contract status: $3.051 million cap hit in 2019, the final year of his contract

2019 outlook: There might not be a player with more at stake at training camp than Burns, whose career is at an obvious crossroads. It’s at least conceivable he’s played his final down on defense in the NFL — but it’s also not at all out of the realm of possibility he could regain the form that made him a first-round pick with Pro Bowl potential. Burns took first-team reps during organized team activities, so he hasn’t fallen totally out of favor. Could he seize a prominent role again? Or might he even get cut before the season starts? Anything is possible at this point.

Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.

Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.

Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.

Get Ad-Free >

Categories: Sports | Steelers/NFL
Sports and Partner News