Why this statistical milestone remains ‘very big deal’ for Panthers star Brian Burns
The same few questions come up each offseason about Brian Burns.
What’s his playing weight? Is he growing into a leadership role? Can he produce a double-digit sack season?
Entering the fourth year of his NFL career, those questions don’t concern the Panthers’ star defensive end. He’s grown accustomed to pro football’s mundane talking points of June.
Except, his back-to-back nine-sack seasons do bug him.
“It’s a very big deal for me. It’s been pissing me off that I’ve been at nine for these past two years,” Burns said. “It’s something I’ve been pushing towards since I’ve been in the league. And it’s not gonna stop now.”
Burns — like his fellow young defensive stars Derrick Brown, Jeremy Chinn and Jaycee Horn — is entering a critical season. The Panthers picked up his contract’s fifth-year option in April, guaranteeing him a 2023 salary of $16 million. The team would like to reach a long-term extension with Burns.
It’s evident in his demeanor that Burn expects himself to be one of the best defensive players in football this season. By doing so, his looming extension and lack of a double-digit sack season should resolve themselves. But getting to the 10-sack mark won’t be easy.
Carolina lacks a proven edge rusher opposite Burns, who was already facing occasional double-teams and chip blocks while playing with Haason Reddick last season. Reddick signed for three years and $45 million with Philadelphia, leaving Reddick as the Panthers’ lone pass rusher that teams will scheme for.
To offset Reddick’s departure, Burns spends practice time refining his technique and mental processing. Teams throw a lot of roadblocks at Burns. For example, an extra running back or tight end lining up on his side usually signals an upcoming chip or double team. Sometimes the extra help never hits him. Instead, the offense bluffs a chip block and sends the back or tight end somewhere else.
If Burns spends too much time planning for a double team that never comes, he wastes a chance for a pass rush. It’s a delicate balance that all the league’s best pass rushers must strike.
It’s why Burns spent his first Pro Bowl experience learning moves from Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones. The two-time All-Pro ranks second on the active all-time sack list with 107.5, 8.5 sacks behind Von Miller.
“I learned a lot from chatting (with Jones) throughout the weekend. We just talked about pass rush and what he sees and the things he’s been working on,” Burns said. “Pretty much just how to last as long as he did and have the success. So I took those notes while I was there.”
He admits he has a long way to go before he’s as technically sound as some of the league’s best pass rushers.
“I‘m not even there yet as far as a technician’s point of view. I feel like I’m very far from it,” Burns said. “There’s a lot of things I do work on as far as my technique, but I feel like it’s so much more and so much further that can go.”
If things play out how both Carolina and Burns envision, he’ll eclipse 10 or more sacks this season, play firm against the run and agree to a lucrative contract with the Panthers sometime in the next offseason. Things might transpire similar to wide receiver DJ Moore, who general manager Scott Fitterer extended before his fifth-year option kicked in this spring.
The sacks will come, and his ideal playing weight and leadership skills have already arrived. Burns said he weighs 255 pounds and plans on maintaining that number.
Coach Matt Rhule praised Burns for his weight-room habits this offseason. Burns leads a group of afternoon workout warriors in the weight rooms. Linebacker Shaq Thompson leads a similar group at 6 a.m. most mornings.
“Shaq is in here every morning. He has a breakfast club weightlifting group. It’s a great culture he has created in the mornings. Then you have guys like Brian who is there in the afternoon,” Rhule said. “It’s cool to see the leadership defused amongst a core group of guys that feel pretty comfortable with it.”
Defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis summarized defensive football perfectly following Wednesday’s OTA practice at the fields outside Bank of America Stadium. He believes in doing your “one-eleventh of the job” to help the team. Burns will need exactly that from Ioannidis and Derrick Brown upfront, along with linebacker Frankie Luvu, defensive ends Yetur Gross-Matos, Marquis Haynes and rookie Amaré Barno.
It’s also helpful for edge rushers when sticky perimeter coverage forces opposing quarterbacks to hold on to the ball. The Panthers have one of the deepest secondaries in the NFC, which should benefit Burns’ double-digit sack aspirations.
Defensive back coach Steve Wilks said he and defensive coordinator Phil Snow are adding a lot of multiple looks that, when executed properly, will confuse offenses and force turnovers.
“We have great personnel on the defensive side of the ball,” Wilks said. “We have so many multiple looks that look the same, but we are doing different things out of it. I think that will create and cause problems throughout the year.
“I’m implementing different things on the back end. Guys are playing with more zone eyes, making more plays on the ball, which is our goal.”
With Jeremy Chinn, Xavier Woods, Jaycee Horn and Donte Jackson all as projected starters, Carolina can play as multiple and diverse as it wants. Last season the team allowed the second-fewest yards in the league, trailing only Buffalo. But it struggled as a red-zone defense and at generating turnovers.
The Panthers allowed touchdowns on 67% of opposing red-zone trips, the third-highest in the league. And Carolina intercepted passes on 1.7% of throws, the seventh-lowest percentage in the league.
“I think Coach Wilks coming in here, he’s done a great job of really working with the safeties on being a little bit more of quarterback visual,” Rhule said. “We are hoping that we can increase our turnover percentage on defense.”
By the team shoring up its red-zone defense and forcing more turnovers, Burns could be in line for a career season in Carolina.
This story was originally published June 2, 2022 at 1:36 PM.
