Panthers News: Brian Burns, Jaycee Horn, Cade Mays and Dalvin Cook
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers DE Brian Burns ranked among peers
Brian Burns is about to be paid like an elite pass-rusher before the 2023 season arrives. Something the Carolina Panthers might want to sort out sooner rather than later considering Nick Bosa's deal will completely reset the market.
The Panthers are going to be heavily reliant on Burns once again in 2023. They've done nothing to strengthen their pass rush aside from moving up to draft D.J. Johnson at No. 80 overall, which is a calculated risk that improved coaching can propel those around to better fortunes.
That doesn't detract from Burns' importance after two-straight Pro Bowl selections. When ranking the former Florida State star among his NFL peers recently, Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus placed him at No. 12, which was the bottom of Tier 2. The writer added that achieving a more consistent win rate could see him surge up the ranking next year.
"[Brian] Burns has recorded 30.5 sacks over the last three seasons — seventh most in the league — and his 174 total pressures ranked fourth. Nonetheless, his pass rush win percentage remains low, averaging just 10.5% over that time span. Becoming more consistent with how and when he wins is what he needs to do to rank higher on this list in the future."
- Trevor Sikkema, Pro Football Focus
Once Burns pens his mega-money contract extension, expectations will rise as a result. And if the 2019 first-round selection does get elite-level money, the production must match if Carolina wants a return on what's going to be a substantial investment.