Burns addresses Miami homecoming, Mattison on what McDaniel told him, more Dolphins notes
The Miami Hurricanes have sent more players to the Dolphins than any other university, and this month’s free agent class delivered another: cornerback Artie Burns.
And that Canes-to-Fins aspect of his homecoming is particularly meaningful to Burns, who attended Miami Northwestern and was a football and track star growing up.
“Being born and raised in Miami, to be a professional here, is a dream come true,” Burns said during an introductory Zoom session with Dolphins reporters on Tuesday. “Miami had the best opportunity for me to show my talents.”
Burns, 6-0, said the Dolphins want to use his versatility.
“I can play corner and nickel; those are the things they want to see me do,” he said. “I definitely want to be around the ball more to make more plays. Nickel can highlight that for me. Both positions present a bunch of opportunities.”
Burns, 29, said he thought the Dolphins were going to draft him in 2016, but Miami opted for Laremy Tunsil at No. 13 and Burns went 26th to Pittsburgh, where he had four interceptions and 32 starts in four years but also struggled at times.
The Steelers moved on after his rookie contract, and he signed with Chicago, where he missed his first season with a torn ACL (2020) and appeared in 11 games in his second there.
His next stop was Seattle; Burns has been pretty good in pass coverage in a limited role in three years there, which included some time on the Seahawks’ practice squad.
In 2022, he played just 16 defensive snaps for the Seahawks and didn’t allow a catch in one target.
In 231 defensive snaps for Seattle in 2023, he allowed a decent 89.4 passer rating in his coverage area (13 for 20 for 159 yards and no TDs).
In just 51 defensive snaps last season for Seattle, he yielded three completions in seven targets for 29 yards and no TDs, equal to a strong 55.1 passer rating in his coverage area.
Burns said the Dolphins defensive system is similar to the one he played in with Seattle. Seahawks coach Mike McDonald coached with Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver in Baltimore.
The Dolphins haven’t signed a veteran starter to replace Kendall Fuller, at least to this point. That leaves Jalen Ramsey, Kader Kohou and Burns as the only cornerbacks on the roster with extensive NFL experience. The other corners on the roster: Cam Smith, Ethan Bonner, Storm Duck, Isaiah Johnson, Ryan Cooper Jr. and Jason Maitre.
If Burns makes the team as expected, he will be the 51st UM player to suit up in a game for the Dolphins. The Dolphins had three Canes on last year’s team: Jaelan Phillips (coming back from a knee injury), Calais Campbell (who has a standing offer from Miami) and receiver Braxton Berrios (who signed with the Houston Texans).
Here’s our 2021 story on every Cane who has appeared in a game for the Dolphins and the 10 best of them, based on what they did for the Dolphins - a list topped by Olivier Vernon and Vernon Carey.
This and that
▪ New Dolphins running back Alexander Mattison, who essentially flipped teams with new Raiders back Raheem Mostert, spoke with coach Mike McDaniel before signing here and McDaniel “told me to bring my big boy pants down to South Beach. It’s an exciting offense, an exciting team to be a part of. I see a lot of benefits being a part of this offense.”
Mattison, who had good short yardage numbers in his career, said “I definitely expect to be in the role of using my pads and physicality. The physicality and me being a bigger bruiser type of back was mentioned [by McDaniel]. I will bring a different level of physicality. I was blessed with a certain type of running style and technique that allows me to break tackles.”
Mattison, who has run for 2790 yards (3.9 per carry) in six seasons, said “downhill, fast, physical are the three words I would pin to the way I run and how I want to run every single time.”
▪ It looks like the Dolphins will open up the safety competition among Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ashtyn Davis, Elijah Campbell - three veterans who have never been full-time starters - and hope two starters emerge. There’s a good chance that a draft pick could join that mix, and the Dolphins could add a veteran safety this summer if they’re concerned about the position in May, June or July.
“It’s going to be a good competition,” Davis, the former Jets player, said Tuesday. “That was a huge thing for me, looking for somewhere with an opportunity to prove to myself and an organization.”
▪ Kendall Lamm, who was the Dolphins’ No. 3 offensive tackle the past two years, agreed to a contract with Philadelphia. Larry Borom, the former Bears player, is expected to replace Lamm as the Dolphins’ No. 3 or No. 4 tackle.
The left tackle question
Even though the Dolphins have 2024 second-round pick Patrick Paul in line to replace Terron Armstead if Armstead retires, people in the game keep citing left tackle as one of the Dolphins’ biggest remaining priorities.
That group includes agent Drew Rosenhaus, who has emphasized left tackle repeatedly in his weekly segment on the Fox affiliate and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.
Meanwhile former Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum projected Ohio State’s Josh Simmons - a natural tackle - to Miami with the 13th pick in his mock draft on Tuesday.
Tannenbaum noted that Miami drafted Paul last year “and there’s some promise there. But the value of Simmons is great. He has outstanding footwork, punch and length. My only two questions: Is he healthy coming off his season-ending knee injury, and can he cut down on penalties after getting 26 over 32 career games?”
This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 12:44 PM.
