'Becoming Real Fun': Seattle Seahawks CB Artie Burns Thriving After Move to Slot

Having a blast in Mike Macdonald's aggressive scheme, Artie Burns has found a home as a rare breakout veteran in the Seahawks secondary.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Artie Burns prepares to catch the football during a drill at training camp. / Corbin Smith/Seahawks On SI

RENTON, Wash. - As evidenced in recent years with former All-Pro talents such as Patrick Peterson changing positions, it's not atypical for an aging boundary cornerback to make the transition to safety to prolong his NFL career.

But on the flip side, it isn't near as common for an outside cornerback to slide inside to the slot, a position that requires excellent change of direction skills and athletic traits that often start to decline once a player has been in the league for six or seven years. Such a positional switch rarely happens in the league, especially for players who didn't have much prior experience playing inside to begin with, which has made Artie Burns' emergence in the nickel role for the Seattle Seahawks all the more astounding.

When asked if he could recall another example of an outside cornerback transitioning inside to the nickel cornerback spot, Burns drew a blank, unable to think of any other players who had successfully pulled it off, at least since he broke into the league as a first-round pick for the Steelers in 2016.

"None of them come to my head," Burns responded. "But you know, our cornerback room is so loaded, you've got so much depth, so anyway we can get on the field, we all try to get out there and make a spot for it."

Now the seasoned veteran of Seattle's talented, deep cornerback room, the 29-year old Burns has made a habit of blowing expectations out of the water in his two-plus seasons with the organization. While injuries prevented him from seeing much action in 2022 and he played in just three regular season games, he bounced back nicely last season in part due to his willingness to try a new position that he hadn't played much previously in college or at the NFL level.

Last August, the Seahawks were dealing with significant injury issues at the cornerback position, particularly in the slot. Second-year defender Coby Bryant, who logged 654 snaps in the nickel role as a rookie in the season prior, battled a toe injury throughout camp that ultimately landed him on injured reserve during the season, opening the door for Burns to approach coaches about giving him a chance to show what he could do inside.

"We actually went down on DBs during camp, and we needed somebody to go in," Burns explained. "I was like, 'coach, hey, I know how to work that position. I've been paying attention in meetings and stuff like that.' I was going take a shot at it and then I was out there."

After playing a grand total of 42 snaps in the slot in his first five NFL seasons, Burns eased into the new position without a hitch. In his first extended game action in Seattle's third exhibition contest against Green Bay, he played 27 snaps inside, allowing one catch on three targets for negative two yards with a pass breakup and tackle for loss. He also generated a pressure on three blitz attempts,
impressing former coach Pete Carroll with his unexpected versatility.

Once the regular season arrived, Burns saw action in eight games for the Seahawks, playing a career-high 202 snaps in the slot per Pro Football Focus. With those opportunities, he didn't allow a touchdown on 24 targets while allowing under 10 yards per reception in coverage, producing a pass breakup as well as a swatted pass on a blitz while giving up no touchdowns.

With Mike Macdonald replacing Carroll in January as the franchise's ninth head coach, it wasn't a certainty Burns would remain part of Seattle's plans in the secondary. However, the team re-signed him to a new one-year deal in March, and rather than simply being additional veteran insurance behind young stars Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen, he has emerged as a viable slot option by turning in yet another stellar training camp.

Sep 24, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Artie Burns (23) defends a pass intended for Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Building off his steady performance from last season, Burns has found his niche playing inside, racking up pass breakups in bunches, making spectacular one-handed picks, and frequently finding his way into the backfield as a blitzer from the slot during camp. Making those reps even more meaningful, he has been subbing in with the first-team defense when Witherspoon plays outside, a sign that the Seahawks new staff views him as starter-caliber player who will have a defined role on Sundays in specific sub packages.

"It's becoming real, real fun for me," Burns smiled, citing his background playing safety in high school as a major benefit playing inside, especially in Macdonald's defense. "I like the aggressiveness that he uses in the scheme, the blitzes and the disguises and let you show your versatility and stuff like that. We play a lot of zone coverage, some man, you put your full talent on tape."

As Burns knows all to well and has learned the hard way in the past, playing at a high level in camp and the preseason doesn't necessarily always guarantee a roster spot in the NFL. In fact, even after his strong finish to the preseason a year ago, the Seahawks released him during final roster cuts before bringing him back on the practice squad and eventually promoting him back to the active roster in mid-September.

As part of a deep cornerback group that includes Tre Brown, Mike Jackson, and incoming rookies Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James along with Witherspoon and Woolen, Burns would be the first to tell anyone that he has work to do to ensure he remains on the roster in Seattle. But Macdonald seems to trust him to do his job in a complex scheme and his strengths ultimately have made him a natural fit for the slot, allowing the staff the flexibility to move Witherspoon around more and take full advantage of his immense talent.

After playing all 19 of his snaps in the Seahawks preseason opener on Saturday in the first half alongside other projected starters, Burns' spot should be secure with the coaching staff appearing to place great value on experience and football savvy. Proving himself as far more than a rotational boundary cornerback and having a blast in Macdonald's aggressive defense making plays inside, he should be poised to take on a far more impactful role thriving in a path rarely taken in the NFL.