3 worst Steelers free-agent signings during the Kevin Colbert Era

Morgan Burnett, Safety

Burnett signed onto the Steelers after a nice career with the Green Bay Packers. Pittsburgh was desperately looking for safety help on their defense. During the time, this was one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. The signing was brought on with the hope Burnett could be the answer. Colbert and his staff made a decent splash in free agency with this contract. They gave the former Packer a three-year deal that totaled around 14.35 million. That was a sizable contract at the time. It was and still is eye-brow-raising when this franchise shells out some cash for any free agent. Getting a major need here filled seemed like a great idea.

The issue with this signing was Burnett never worked out with Pittsburgh. It could be chalked up to a multitude of reasons why this marriage never worked but he would be cut only after one season. Eventually, his career would fizzle out after playing with the Cleveland Browns in 2019. He has not been in the league since then. It was a bold move and sometimes those moves do not work out. This was one of the worst deals during the Colbert era as he took a swing and he whiffed.