The Battle at DB

[Oviedo]

This could be one of the most interesting during this camp. Baring injury, I think the starting four are definitely set with Burns, Davis, Mitchell and Cockrell but after that it should get real interesting.

Who is the #3 safety?

Does Willie Gay make the roster? IMO not on talent anymore...maybe on comfort level which is bad for team.

Does Sesabaugh push Cockrell or take over the slot?

Can Golson regain his potential and stick and stay healthy?

Will Cam Sutton be the Burns and Davis of 2017?

Will Brian Allen's physical potential get him a roster spot?

[RuthlessBurgher]

Burns, Cockrell, Mitchell, and Davis are your starting four.

Cam Sutton is a lock to make the team as well, but I don't think he'll have the same impact that Burns and Davis had as rookies...might be a day one starter in 2018, though.

In terms of undersized slot corner candidates from Ole Miss, I think former UDFA Mike Hilton beats out former 2nd round pick Senquez Golson in camp...I actually think Hilton can start in the slot for us if he is as impressive in camp with pads on as he has been in OTA's and minicamp with only shells on (as I mentioned in another thread, he can be the defensive equivalent of Eli Rogers...he has a history of being surprisingly physical in spite of his slight stature).

In terms of veteran secondary depth, Coty Sensabaugh is 4 years younger than William Gay, but they may try to keep both if they feel that they can stash Brian Allen away on the P.S. for a year.

I think free agent signing Damion Stafford is an improvement on Golden and Dangerfield in terms of a reserve safety.

If they can cross-train a few of the depth corners to also function as emergency safety options, they may try to get away with 6 or 7 corners on the final 53 and maybe as few as 3 pure safeties. We'll see.

[Shoe]

One of the more interesting guys in camp this year will be Golson. Having this little guy Mike Hilton (former Miss guy that Golson probably looked at like a little brother) may be a good thing for Senquez, pushing him to stay ahead of that guy.

[Oviedo]

I really hope they don't hold onto Gay. He has been a good soldier for us but I could see him having a season this year like Ike's last year.

[phillyesq]

One of the more interesting guys in camp this year will be Golson. Having this little guy Mike Hilton (former Miss guy that Golson probably looked at like a little brother) may be a good thing for Senquez, pushing him to stay ahead of that guy.

I've heard a decent amount of buzz on Hilton. I wonder if he may challenge and beat out Senquez for the last corner slot. I'd love to see Golson stay healthy and show why he was a second round pick. It's probably a real long shot at this point but I'd love for the Steelers to have a few strong options in the slot.

[feltdizz]

I really hope they don't hold onto Gay. He has been a good soldier for us but I could see him having a season this year like Ike's last year.

I hope we do.. besides the Pats game I don't think Gay had a bad year. This should be his last year but we need vet leadership to help get these young guys in the right spot.

[RuthlessBurgher]

One year in, Steelers CB Artie Burns looks like a brilliant, shrewd draft pick

Steelers cornerback Artie Burns faced more than his fair share of criticism, long before he ever stepped on even a practice field in Black & Gold. One year later, he’s turning heads in camp the way he did in the final stretch of his rookie season.

by Mike Frazer
Aug 3, 2017, 10:30am EDT

About 15 months ago, the Steelers drafted cornerback Artie Burns in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, much to the chagrin of many fans. The pick was met here, at Behind the Steel Curtain, with a nearly even, three-way mix of joy, disdain, and cries of, “...who?”

It wasn’t until just about 24 hours before the draft that Burns was even meaningfully connected as a possible pick for the Steelers. The other cornerbacks connected with Pittsburgh — Eli Apple and William Jackson III, mostly — were gone, with Jackson being taken one pick prior by the rival Cincinnati Bengals. Some in Steeler Nation saw it as an intentional slight by the Bengals, as ridiculous as that notion may seem.

I, myself, felt Burns was a solid pick, but questioned if it would be the right pick. The answer, as it turned out, was a resounding “heck, yeah!”

As Burns settles into his second training camp at St. Vincent College, three main story lines have emerged. The first is that he is seeing a lot more man coverage looks in year two. The second is that the plan appears to be to have him shadow teams’ top receivers this year, a role that was last filled by former cornerback Ike Taylor, with great success.

The third is a continuation — perhaps even a mild reversal — of a storyline from his first camp. A year ago, Burns spent most of camp being beaten by Antonio Brown in ways that would make a rented mule think, “wow, that’s harsh.”

Fast-forward to 2017, and the story is a little different. Burns is still giving up catches to Brown but, then again, so does everyone else who tries to cover him. Every. Single. One. The difference is that Brown is making most of those catches despite excellent coverage. Getting outplayed by Brown is slightly more certain than death or taxes. And, according to the reports out of camp, Burns is actually getting his share of wins when covering the guy who is almost universally viewed as the best receiver in football right now. That, in and of itself, is a pretty great story.

Burns had a rocky start in 2016, but he finished well, and that’s about the best you can hope for from any rookie who eventually becomes a starter before their inaugural season draws to a close. In fact, despite starting just three games last season, the young corner ended up with the 20th-most passes defended, at 13. No one ahead of him on the list had fewer than nine starts. His three interceptions were good for a tie for 31st place. Again, he had the fewest starts in the group, by far. And his 51 tackles ranked 18th among all cornerbacks.

In 2017, Burns is going to be counted on as the number-one corner for the Steelers, a role he both relishes, and has earned. For the record, no rookie cornerback had more interceptions than Burns’ three. Only two other rookie corners — Hargreaves and Jalen Ramsey — had more tackles, and only Ramsey had more pass breakups.

Simply put, Burns came in with a general acknowledgement that he was raw and would take time to develop, and ended the season with one of the best all-around performances for a cornerback, at least in key statistics. He had his bad moments — missed tackles, blown assignments — but he learned from them and improved. Now, just a half a year since his first season ended, he’s back in Pittsburgh, ramping up for his second year.

This time, though, he’s being counted on as a leader. As long as he keeps winning an occasional matchup with Brown during training camp, the expectations will only grow.

He looks more than capable of living up to them.

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/pittsburgh-steelers-opinions-reactions-news-updates/2017/8/3/16081498/year-two-steelers-cornerback-artie-burns-looks-like-brilliant-shrewd-draft-pick-opinion-analysis

[Oviedo]

One year in, Steelers CB Artie Burns looks like a brilliant, shrewd draft pick

Steelers cornerback Artie Burns faced more than his fair share of criticism, long before he ever stepped on even a practice field in Black & Gold. One year later, he’s turning heads in camp the way he did in the final stretch of his rookie season.

by Mike Frazer
Aug 3, 2017, 10:30am EDT

About 15 months ago, the Steelers drafted cornerback Artie Burns in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, much to the chagrin of many fans. The pick was met here, at Behind the Steel Curtain, with a nearly even, three-way mix of joy, disdain, and cries of, “...who?”

It wasn’t until just about 24 hours before the draft that Burns was even meaningfully connected as a possible pick for the Steelers. The other cornerbacks connected with Pittsburgh — Eli Apple and William Jackson III, mostly — were gone, with Jackson being taken one pick prior by the rival Cincinnati Bengals. Some in Steeler Nation saw it as an intentional slight by the Bengals, as ridiculous as that notion may seem.

I, myself, felt Burns was a solid pick, but questioned if it would be the right pick. The answer, as it turned out, was a resounding “heck, yeah!”

As Burns settles into his second training camp at St. Vincent College, three main story lines have emerged. The first is that he is seeing a lot more man coverage looks in year two. The second is that the plan appears to be to have him shadow teams’ top receivers this year, a role that was last filled by former cornerback Ike Taylor, with great success.

The third is a continuation — perhaps even a mild reversal — of a storyline from his first camp. A year ago, Burns spent most of camp being beaten by Antonio Brown in ways that would make a rented mule think, “wow, that’s harsh.”

Fast-forward to 2017, and the story is a little different. Burns is still giving up catches to Brown but, then again, so does everyone else who tries to cover him. Every. Single. One. The difference is that Brown is making most of those catches despite excellent coverage. Getting outplayed by Brown is slightly more certain than death or taxes. And, according to the reports out of camp, Burns is actually getting his share of wins when covering the guy who is almost universally viewed as the best receiver in football right now. That, in and of itself, is a pretty great story.

Burns had a rocky start in 2016, but he finished well, and that’s about the best you can hope for from any rookie who eventually becomes a starter before their inaugural season draws to a close. In fact, despite starting just three games last season, the young corner ended up with the 20th-most passes defended, at 13. No one ahead of him on the list had fewer than nine starts. His three interceptions were good for a tie for 31st place. Again, he had the fewest starts in the group, by far. And his 51 tackles ranked 18th among all cornerbacks.

In 2017, Burns is going to be counted on as the number-one corner for the Steelers, a role he both relishes, and has earned. For the record, no rookie cornerback had more interceptions than Burns’ three. Only two other rookie corners — Hargreaves and Jalen Ramsey — had more tackles, and only Ramsey had more pass breakups.

Simply put, Burns came in with a general acknowledgement that he was raw and would take time to develop, and ended the season with one of the best all-around performances for a cornerback, at least in key statistics. He had his bad moments — missed tackles, blown assignments — but he learned from them and improved. Now, just a half a year since his first season ended, he’s back in Pittsburgh, ramping up for his second year.

This time, though, he’s being counted on as a leader. As long as he keeps winning an occasional matchup with Brown during training camp, the expectations will only grow.

He looks more than capable of living up to them.

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/pittsburgh-steelers-opinions-reactions-news-updates/2017/8/3/16081498/year-two-steelers-cornerback-artie-burns-looks-like-brilliant-shrewd-draft-pick-opinion-analysis

Dare we say "Steal of the draft"

[Sword]

I really hope they don't hold onto Gay. He has been a good soldier for us but I could see him having a season this year like Ike's last year.

Me either and he was also, not a good soldier in many games that I remember.....

[SidSmythe]

I can say I was neutral on Burns going inot the draft... however I was happy we didn't end up with Justin Gilbert 2.0 the pick before him.

[Iron City Inc.]

Right now Robert Golden is the #3 safety. With Mitchell out last 2 days all the snaps taken by the 1's have had him out there and he has done okay.

[feltdizz]

Right now Robert Golden is the #3 safety. With Mitchell out last 2 days all the snaps taken by the 1's have had him out there and he has done okay.

isn't that the guy who never covers anyone vs the Pats?

[Mick'sTeam]

isn't that the guy who never covers anyone vs the Pats?

Pretty sure that's all of them.

[Shoe]

I can say I was neutral on Burns going inot the draft... however I was happy we didn't end up with Justin Gilbert 2.0 the pick before him.

Is Jackson not looking good?

[RuthlessBurgher]

Is Jackson not looking good?

He spent his rookie season on I.R. after tearing a pec in last year's traning camp.