Reviewing 5 bold Carolina Panthers predicitons before the 2021 season

Carolina Panthers DE Brian Burns will gain over 12.5 sacks

• Result: Not quite

One could argue this was a breakout year for Brian Burns as he was named a Pro Bowl starter. But in terms of just simply sacks, the defensive end didn’t quite make the 12.5 predicted before the campaign.

However, a lot of that was down to the stellar play from his Carolina Panthers counterpart Haason Reddick. The free-agent acquisition ended the year with 11 sacks and the pair formed one of the premier pass-rushing duos in the NFL.

Although Burns was named a Pro Bowl starter, we still saw some issues in his game that may need ironing out moving into his fourth year. For example, Burns’ eagerness to reach the passer can sometimes see him fail to seal the edge.

We saw at times this season the Panthers struggling to defend the run against teams who focused on isolating Burns and using his explosiveness to their advantage. The Florida State product also struggled to complete his sacks at times during the campaign.

As someone who finished the season with a respectable nine sacks, this could have been even higher if Burns tightened up these elements of his game. With Reddick not under contract in 2022, we may see the former first-round pick again become Carolina’s top option coming off the edge.