Panthers News: Brian Burns, Thomas Brown, Stephen Sullivan and James Campen
By Dean Jones
Brian Burns' down numbers
Brian Burns remains the best pass-rusher on the Carolina Panthers by a considerable margin. He's one of the league's most explosive edge players. He's not even in his prime years yet. The sky's the limit.
Burns and the Panthers are heading for a collision course about his new deal. It's up in the air right now, but the down numbers without context might lead to those in power low-balling the former first-round pick when the time to resume negotiations begins.
When discussing Burns' decrease in sack numbers, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero stated it wasn't a fair reflection of how disruptive he's been overall based on comments via USA Today Sports. It's also worth remembering the Florida State product is the focal point for opposing protection schemes on almost every down.
"He’s a special talent in terms of his measurables, size, length, the ability to run, change direction, his play style. For a guy that came into the league not a very big-style guy—he’s very aggressive, he’s very physical, he built his body up the right way. And he’s been very productive. It’s unfortunate that the numbers, especially the sack numbers, don’t reflect the disruptive play that he’s had. But if you go watch the film and see what this young man is doing game in and game out—he’s affecting the quarterback, he plays hard, he’s a run-down and a pass-down player and he’s really done a good job."
- Ejiro Evero via USA Today Sports
Adding context to every situation is critical. It doesn't happen often in today's world of hot takes where being first is more important than being right. But make no mistake, Burns has earned the right for exactly this when assessing his production in 2023.