Report: Cleveland Browns to sign safety Morgan Burnett

The Cleveland Browns may have found their starting strong safety as they are reportedly set to sign veteran Morgan Burnett who spent 2018 with the Pittsburgh Steelers

After trading Jabrill Peppers to the New York Giants, the Cleveland Browns have been in need of a starting strong safety. There has been a lot of speculation about who that safety could be and they were rumored to be looking at players such as Eric Berry and Tre Boston.

Their need became intensified when they released Derrick Kindred on April 1. That same day, they did land Eric Murray in exchange for Emmanuel Ogbah in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Murray has a shot to start but it won’t be easy now as the team is reportedly bringing in an experienced veteran. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweeted on Friday morning that Morgan Burnett and the Browns intend to get a contract done.

At 30-years old, Burnett brings a lot of veteran leadership to the defensive backfield. He was a third-round pick out of Georgia Tech in 2010 and spent his first nine seasons with the Green Bay Packers. In the 2018 offseason, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers for $14.35 million over three seasons. He was released on April 1, the same day Cleveland made their moves with Kindred and Murray.

In his nine NFL seasons, Burnett has started 104 of 113 games played. He has 747 tackles, nine interceptions, and eight forced fumbles.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Burnett graded out at a 66.7 and ranked 53 for safeties in the NFL. It wasn’t his best season, but it was an improvement on the year prior.

Burnett’s signing won’t prevent the Browns from drafting a young safety, but it does give them someone they can trust to start — which will prevent them from reaching out of necessity.

For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, subscribe
to PFF’s EDGE or ELITE subscriptions at ProFootballFocus.com.