Panthers News: Bryce Young, Frank Reich, Brian Burns and Damiere Byrd

Carolina Panthers OLB Brian Burns' ambition

Brian Burns hasn't seen the preseason field, which isn't a big surprise. He's a veteran player, an indispensable member of the Carolina Panthers' plans, and is also looking for a bumper new contract extension before Week 1 arrives.

While Burns didn't provide any update on how negotiations are going between his representatives and those in power within the Panthers, he's clearly expecting big things from Carolina's defensive unit under Ejiro Evero based on his comments via the team's website.

"I really think just defensively, . . . I don't even know what I want to say. I think we're going to shock the world."I'm definitely excited for this season; I got high expectations. I would say the preseason is always, even if we all were out there, it's still going to be tough to tell where we're at because it's not really a lot of scheme. Just going into the game, it's really vanilla. I don't want to say we're going through the motions, but it's not, … yeah, it's not the same. But, like I said, we got some special, and I'm a big part of it. So I can't, I can't miss no time. I've just got to be here. We've got a lot of things, a lot of things I want to accomplish a lot of goals, and, God willing, we reach those goals, but I've got to be here."

- Brian Burns via Panthers.com

Burns is coming off two straight Pro Bowl selections and 12.5 sacks last season. He's also emerged as a leader within the locker room who's held in the highest regard by his peers around the league.

If the Panthers had any sense, they'd give Burns whatever he wants. But much will also depend on how the situation between Nick Bosa and the San Francisco 49ers evolves in the coming weeks.