How many sacks can Brian Burns and Hasson Reddick get in 2021?
By Dean Jones
What can the Carolina Panthers expect?
The tandem of Brian Burns and Haason Reddick has the scope to cause a significant amount of problems for opposing defenses. Both players bring a significant amount from a physical standpoint and have all the explosiveness needed to get into the backfield consistently.
It’s going to be a dilemma for protection schemes in terms of which player to double-team on any given down. Couple this with the presence of Derrick Brown and Morgan Fox on the interior and this foursome could be one of the league’s more dominant defensive fronts.
Reddick will need to prove he wasn’t a one-season wonder. The player’s 12.5 sacks in 2020 far eclipsed his previous career-high of four and if the former Temple star can produce the same sort of numbers after reuniting with his old college coach Matt Rhule, a bumper payday will be coming his way this time next year.
The Carolina Panthers already know what they have in Burns, who has so much going for him it’s scary. There aren’t many edge rushers who can get to the spot quicker than the Florida State product and if Reddick’s arrival gives him a little more room to operate, the sky is the limit.
While the likes of Kawann Short, Zach Kerr, and Efe Obada likely won’t be around, it’s hard to look at Carolina’s current options on the defensive front and not think they’ve been upgraded considerably.