Calais Campbell delivered an impressive South Florida homecoming last season, becoming the latest University of Miami standout to produce an impactful season with the Miami Dolphins.
It appears South Florida’s NFL franchise intends to see if they can tap into another Hurricanes homecoming with the hopes of getting the best out of a former University of Miami standout, signing cornerback Artie Burns to a one-year deal on Monday.
The signing was confirmed by a source, but the terms of the contract weren’t disclosed. However, considering Miami’s frugal approach to the 2025 offseason, and the realization that the Dolphins have limited cap space after signing more than half a dozen players last week, it’s unlikely that the deal was for more than $3 million this season.
Last season Burns, a 2016 first-round pick, played for the NFL minimum with the Seattle Seahawks, the franchise he’s spent the past three seasons with.
Before that Burns spent four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team that selected him in the first round, and one season with the Chicago Bears.
He’s started 39 of the 90 NFL games he’s played in his eight NFL seasons, contributing 199 tackles, four interceptions and forcing one fumble, and recovering two fumbles. Last season he played 51 snaps on defense in the four games he played for the Seahawks.
Burns contributed four tackles and broke up three passes in his limited snaps in 2024. It should be pointed out that he played in a scheme that’s very similar to the one Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver runs.
Burns has also been a core special teams contributor in his eight NFL seasons, coming 47 snaps short of logging 1,000 special teams snaps.
Burns turns 30 in May, which makes him the first free agent signee over the age of 28 this offseason.
He’ll likely compete with Cam Smith, a 2023 second-round pick, Storm Duck, who had a productive season as an undrafted rookie, and Ethan Bonner, who is entering his third NFL season, for the role as the cornerback who plays on the opposite side of Jalen Ramsey, a seven-time Pro Bowler.
The Dolphins used a right of first refusal tender on Kader Kohou, agreeing to pay him nearly $3.3 million for the 2025 season when he signs the tender, but history has proven that Kohou is better utilized as a nickel cornerback.
Last season Kendall Fuller played opposite Ramsey for most of the season, but he suffered a serious knee injury in December and Miami waived the nine-year veteran back in February to create cap space.
Smith and Duck each struggled in the snaps they handled opposite Ramsey, and the Dolphins have sparingly played Bonner on defense the past two seasons. Miami also has Isaiah Johnson and Jason Maitre, two undrafted rookies who impressed in 2024’s training camp and spent 2024 on the practice squad, on the 90-player roster.
Expect the Dolphins to also target cornerbacks in the 2025 NFL draft since Miami will likely be in position to select Michigan’s Will Johnson and Texas’ Jahdae Barron with the No. 13 pick. The Dolphins typically take nine or more cornerbacks into training camp, which opens in late July.
As for the second week of free agency, the Dolphins still have plenty of areas to address, and atop the main priorities should be the defensive line, which presently has three players - Zach Sieler, Neil Farrell and Matt Dickerson - under contract.
Campbell, a 17-year veteran who produced 52 tackles, five sacks and five pass deflections at the advanced age of 38, is being patient about his decision making process, determining if, and for who he intents to play with in 2025. But the Dolphins have made it know they hope to retain the reliable defensive lineman, who served as a team captain.
The Dolphins also have a couple other defensive linemen - Benito Jones and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah - they have made offers to, but those veterans haven’t made a decision on their futures yet.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus told WSVN the Dolphins and Ogbah, who contributed 49 tackles, five sacks and one interception in the 16 games he played last season, aren’t close to finalizing a deal.