Panthers News: Scott Fitterer, Matt Corral, Brian Burns and Jeremy Chinn
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers OLB Brian Burns' absence
Mystery surrounded edge rusher Brian Burns on Thursday, which drew fierce speculation from the fanbase across social media. The Carolina Panthers excused their former first-round pick from practice due to what was described as a personal matter, although beat reporters mentioned that he'd been seen around the facility before the session got underway.
Many thought this could potentially be down to Burns finally receiving a contract offer worthy of further examination on his behalf. When asked about this specifically, head coach Frank Reich gave a diplomatic response to the media in attendance via USA Today Sports.
"I’ll just refer that to Brian. It’s impossible for me to have more respect than I do for Brian. So, that’s his personal matters. And anyway, secondly, it’s a matter of policy. It’s not my role to talk about contracts—even if that’s what it was."
- Frank Reich via USA Today Sports
Burns is heading into the final year of his rookie deal and is more than deserving of the bumper contract that will eventually arrive. The Panthers were thought to be waiting until Nick Bosa resets the market with the San Francisco 49ers, which could be confirmed in the very near future to prevent his hold-out leading into a regular season game week that begins on Monday.
Carolina hasn't had such problems with Burns, who's been around teammates throughout the offseason. His absence from practice could have been for a multitude of reasons, but hopefully, this means some good news is on the horizon regarding an extended stay for one of the team's foundational pieces.