Brian Burns breaks down recent play, expectations for upcoming season

Brian Burns is a man on a mission. On Friday, the Carolina Panthers’ EDGE revealed how he stays motivated to hunt down opposing quarterbacks.

“Just constantly keeping a chip on my shoulder, honestly. Not being too big to take coaching from other players and other coaches and remain humble,” Burns said during the Panthers’ preseason loss against the Detroit Lions. “I got big goals and I got big things I want to achieve.”

Burns had a fantastic season in 2022. The former Florida State standout recorded a career-high 12.5 sacks, the eighth-most in the league. Consequently, Burns was selected for the Pro Bowl for the second year in a row.

In a mere four seasons, Burns has tallied 196 tackles, 38 sacks and 43 tackles for loss. Burns’ spectacular showings have earned him the nickname “Spiderman.” The reference points to Burns’ constant ability to add new quarterbacks to his web of sacks.

Burns wasn’t shy when detailing who he plans to add to his impressive list this season.

“Every quarterback we play,” Burns said. “I got some GOATs in that web. I just want to keep adding to it”

Brian Burns discusses high hopes for season

The Panthers will need all the help they can find. In just four seasons with the organization, Burns has played under five head coaches, including the Panthers’ most recent addition, Frank Reich. Despite the turbulent circumstances, the Panthers showed improvement last season.

The team won seven games in the 2022 campaign, which was tied for the most since 2017, which was the last time the franchise made the playoffs. Burns believes the Panthers can take their game to the next level this year.

“It’s hard to say because you know everybody has the same feeling around this time until stuff hit the fan,” Burns said. “Right now everybody has that same good feeling but like Coach said yesterday man, we got to prove it. I feel like we’ve been getting disrespected for a minute, which is understandable. It’s cool. But at the end of the day, we got to go out there and prove it. We got to prove that we are as good as we are on paper.”

If Burns can boost the team to a statement season, it could be lucrative. The 6-foot-5 defensive end is entering the final year of his rookie deal, which is worth $16 million for his fifth-year option. This season will be a decisive one for Burns.

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