Over the years, Jordan Burch watched plenty of his friends and former teammates sign their first NFL contract.
On Thursday, sitting next to general manager Monti Ossenfort, it was Burch’s turn.
“Just watching guys older than you, and then you get that experience,” Burch said. “It was a great feeling being able to finally get into the building and be able to work.”
The work began under 24 hours later as rookie minicamp began on Friday. Coach Jonathan Gannon structures the practices in a way that’ll help the rookies become acclimated for when they merge with the veterans on Monday.
At this phase of the offseason, offensive and defensive players are unable to line up across from each other. While Burch can’t fully showcase his pass rush ability, Gannon is seeking how the outside linebacker can transfer his classroom knowledge to the field.
“How quick is he picking things up and then we’ll get on the grass and see how he can apply the techniques that we’re using and improve the things he needs to improve to be a good player for us,” Gannon said. “Everybody in the building, it’s our job is to make sure that they keep ascending and can become better players.”
In his first meeting with the staff, Burch said the overarching message was to come prepared for work every day. It’s nothing unusual for Burch, who put up solid numbers during his time at South Carolina and Oregon. He finished his five year college career with 170 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, and 16 sacks, with 8.5 of those coming in 10 games played last season.