Sean Davis’ development is imperative for Artie Burns

Cornerback/safety hybrid Sean Davis made his NFL debut Friday night for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they hosted the Detroit Lions in their first preseason game of 2016 at Heinz Field. Davis, who was taken in the second round of April’s draft out of Maryland, struggled at times in his first NFL game, but also flashed his talent and versatility.

When he was drafted, it was assumed Davis was going to compete with Robert Golden for the starting position at strong safety alongside Mike Mitchell, with William Gay, Ross Cockrell, Senquez Golson, and Artie Burns manning the corner position. However, an unfortunate injury to Golson (for the second year in row) has sidelined him for up to four months. This opened the door for Davis to step into the slot cornerback position, which was presumed to be Golson’s role before his injury.

With Davis seeing significant time in the slot rather than at safety, it appears as though the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin would like to see him win that position battle outright – it also tells me they feel comfortable enough to head into the regular season with Golden as the starting strong safety. Lost in all this is the fact that if Davis doesn’t develop enough to win the third corner job, it would most likely force first-round pick, CB Artie Burns, to be thrown into the fire right away.

Burns has plenty of natural athletic ability, but has been sidelined recently due to a quad injury. The injury itself is nothing serious, but enough to make Pittsburgh err on the side of caution. Burns hasn’t had the best training camp, and his first year right now is seen as a learning year where the Steelers bring him along slowly while the mental part of the game catches up to him.

However, if Davis proves to be a liability in the slot, Burns will see ample playing time right away whether he is ready or not. In that scenario, I believe Davis would fall into the nickel safety spot while pushing Golden at strong safety, and a three-man rotation at corner with Gay, Cockrell, and Burns would be likely.

If Davis progresses enough to be the starting guy in the slot, it would go a long way in helping the Steelers ease Burns in, rather than throwing him to the wolves right away out of necessity. In other words, Davis has a big role to fill. If he wins the slot job, it would afford Pittsburgh the time to develop Burns slowly. If he doesn’t, Burns would probably end up starting on the outside while Gay moves back inside to the slot.

No matter how you slice it, we’re going to see a younger and more athletic group in the secondary for the Steelers. Exactly who will be playing where is anyone’s guess at this juncture, but either way Sean Davis’ development – or lack thereof – will be a key factor when that question is finally answered.