Panthers News: Brian Burns, Jeremy Chinn, Thomas Brown and Cam Newton
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers news stories are hitting the headlines as excitement gathers pace for their Week 8 contest against the Houston Texans?
After a long and much-needed break, the Carolina Panthers and their ever-suffering fanbase are preparing themselves for what should be another dramatic afternoon at Bank of America Stadium. C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are favored with sportsbooks and will be a tough proposition to overcome, but there is growing belief that things can start improving despite dealing with injury issues yet again.
Ahead of tomorrow's game, the stories causing debate include former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton's regret, fears alleviated around Brian Burns ahead of the trade deadline, a potential landing spot for Jeremy Chinn, and how involved Frank Reich plans to be with Thomas Brown calling the plays.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Carolina Panthers OLB Brian Burns' status
One of the most eye-catching names on the injury report this week was Brian Burns. The stud edge rusher is questionable for Week 8 with an elbow issue. It would be a body blow for Ejiro Evero's defense given their lack of pass-rushing prowess and Yetur Gross-Matos going to injured/reserve this week.
One concern Frank Reich did alleviate during his media availability on Friday was Burns' absence from practice having anything to do with the trade deadline. The head coach firmly stated via USA Today Sports that the two are not linked, which comes as a relief to fans who are keen for the former Florida State star to stick around.
"No correlation. We had a kinda a little thing happen yesterday on a play where he hurt his elbow. Got it checked out. Today, it was still an issue. So, gettin’ further evaluation on that to try to see where we’re at. I really don’t have any of that information to this point. I’ve been told there’s a chance he could play, but it just all depends on what the test results show. When you start doin’ MRI’s and x-rays, there’s a wide array of things that can happen."
- Frank Reich via USA Today Sports
Hopefully, Burns can take his place in the lineup and more importantly, remain with the Panthers beyond the trade deadline as part of Carolina's long-term plan for the future.