Chicago Bears: 5 breakout candidates who could be cut too early
By Ryan Heckman
Chicago Bears breakout candidates who could be cut: CB Artie Burns
Lastly, we come to a guy who has been in the league since 2016 and has had an up and down career. Former first rounder Artie Burns last played a regular season game in 2019 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He only played in 10 games that season due to injury, and then went and signed with the Bears last year.
Burns did not play a snap for the Bears in 2020 due to suffering a torn ACL before the season began, but the Bears brought him back for the 2021 campaign.
At this point, cornerback is going to be a very important position to watch. The Bears want to see some strong competition there from a lot of the younger guys. Speaking of youth, Burns is still only 26 years old. Having not played regular season football for quite some time could hurt his chances of making the roster, though.
The thing with Burns is, this could be his chance to finally break out and prove he was worthy of being a first-round pick a few years ago. Even after the injury woes, this could be Burns’ opportunity. But, if the Bears wish to go with some guys who have more continuity, Burns may not get his chance.
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Chicago’s starting cornerbacks, Jaylon Johnson and Desmond Trufant, very well could end up hurt this season at some point. They’ve both had injury issues in the past, and a veteran like Burns might be a huge help if he were to need to step in. But, if the Bears don’t give him that chance, then they’ll be counting on the younger players who have far less experience. Maybe Burns is worth keeping around, and maybe he ends up helping the team more than we expect.