The Dolphins have added cornerback Artie Burns to the roster in free agency. It's a homecoming for the eight-year NFL pro who played his high school football at Miami Northwestern before becoming a first-round pick out of the University of Miami. He's played for three teams over an eight-year career with appearances in 90 games and 39 starts.
Inside-out
For the first six years of his career, Burns aligned in the slot on just 42 of his 2,664 snaps. He was exclusively a perimeter cornerback. Then, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks and converted inside under then Head Coach Pete Carroll.
One year later, Mike Macdonald, former colleague to Dolphins Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver, is hired as the Seattle head coach. Burns stayed inside as the backup nickel for Seattle, and though he wound up playing just 51 total snaps, he earned Pro Football Focus' highest grade for a corner. He was targeted eight times and registered as many pass breakups (2) as receptions allowed.
That ability to play both in the slot and on the perimeter aligns with the rest of the Dolphins cornerback room. It keeps the many pressure packages of Coach Weaver on the menu.
The Miami arc
Tallying four sacks, two interceptions and two kick returns for touchdowns as a senior at Miami Northwestern High School, and a title in the 110-meter hurdles, Burns was recruited by just about every college program in the country. The four-star prospect chose to stay home. He played 35 games over three years with the Hurricanes, punctuating a brilliant career with six interceptions in his junior season.
That was all the NFL needed to see. Burns declared for the draft and went 25th overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, nine years later, Burns is back where it all began as the newest member of the Miami Dolphins secondary.
Track star speed
The 110-meter hurdle championship Burns won as a senior at Miami Northwestern was his third consecutive finish atop the podium. At the time, he set the sophomore Florida state record with a mark of 13.35. That time was also the second-fastest worldwide by a youth athlete.
Burns also broke the record in the 300-meter hurdles event and, in 2014, broke the American junior record in the indoor 60-meter hurdles – a record that had stood 38 years.
For more information on Burns, and the entire Dolphins 2025 free agency class, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available wherever you get your podcasts.
