Pittsburgh Steelers: 4 players who can replace Morgan Burnett in 2019

Morgan Burnett has told the media he’d like the Pittsburgh Steelers to release him before free agency. Now, the team needs to address safety along with the rest of the defense.

The Pittsburgh Steelers got lucky that Terrell Edmunds was ready to play in his rookie season. Otherwise, they’d be counting on Jordan Dangerfield to pick up the slack at safety while Morgan Burnett dealt with injury.

In one season with the Steelers, Burnett played 11 games, only starting two, while accumulating 30 tackles and six pass deflections. For a player this team hoped to have make an impact on defense, Burnett appeared to be a worse move than keeping Mike Mitchell around.

Burnett’s time in Pittsburgh was short and not very impactful. His role was demoted to a secondary option behind the rookie Edmunds. After a year with the team, he told Ian Rapoport he’d like the Steelers to release him before free agency.

His comments put blame on playing more dime linebacker than safety. He’d like to start fresh in a place where he can play his traditional position and likely not work with an up-and-coming player in front of him. So, Pittsburgh now has a decision to make.

This team isn’t one to keep players who don’t want to be kept. Burnett’s request to be released isn’t official, but just making headlines should be enough for this team to make a move. As they scope through their roster to make changes, Burnett will top the list as one of the firsts to go.