PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Morgan Burnett is just happy to be back on the field.

The veteran safety will play Sunday at home against Cleveland after missing the previous four games with a groin injury.

“It’s good to get back into the flow of things and get back into a normal work week,” Burnett said Friday. “As a competitor, you want to be out there, you don’t want to miss anything, but I understand that comes with the game. This is a physical game, and you demand a lot from your body, but once it happened, being upset isn’t going to help you heal faster.”

Burnett, in his ninth season, played in the Steelers’ first two games against Cleveland and Kansas City, but he has been out since Sept. 16 with his injury. This week was the first time Burnett fully practiced three straight days without any setback.

“Everything felt good,” Burnett said. “Everything went well this week. I definitely feel prepared and ready. I’m just trying to take positive steps forward.”

Burnett tried to practice before the Sept. 30 home game against Baltimore and the following week against Atlanta, but wasn’t able to return.

“It wasn’t quite ready and my body made sure it let me know that,” Burnett said. “We went back to rehabbing and went from there. I just followed protocol, and I did what the trainers asked me to do to try and get back as quick as possible.”

The 29-year-old Burnett spent his first eight seasons in Green Bay before signing a three-year, $14.5-million contract with the Steelers in the offseason. He started 102 games for the Packers.

The Steelers signed Burnett in hopes he could provide leadership to a young secondary group.