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Brian Burns Will Be an "Every Down Player" in 2020

The second-year EDGE rusher will have an expanded role this season

Jason Hewitt

Brian Burns had a pretty successful rookie campaign in 2019. Even though the Panthers defense struggled, Burns was one of the very few bright spots. He played in all sixteen games of the regular season, but he only started in five of them. Burns was highly efficient on the field with a total of 7.5 sacks, 25 combined tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery that led to a 56-yard touchdown. 

Former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera seemingly felt that the rookie wasn't ready to become a reliable three down player yet. He valued experience more than talent in this case, which was one of many areas of criticism that "Riverboat Ron" received from fans. 

Fortunately for those fans, Matt Rhule has taken over as the new sheriff in town, and he seems willing to give the second-year EDGE rusher a much greater role in 2020. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow will be incorporating many different looks this season, which should highly benefit Burns' skill set.

In an interview with WFNZ-AM/FM, Snow discussed the utilization of Burns. He views Burns as someone who should stay on the field on defense. Snow said more here: 

Snow had nothing but praise for Burns when he talked about his abilities. It is important to note that Snow was highly impressed by Burns' intelligence. Experience might be lacking on the defense this year, but players like Burns with high football IQ's can make up for that. With Derrick Brown and Kawann Short wreaking havoc in the interior, Burns should be able to roam freely in the backfield a lot more often. Expectations are high for the pass rushing specialist this year. Phil Snow's innovative defensive strategy should elevate Burns' game tremendously, which is bad news for quarterbacks and running backs all over the league.

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Jason Hewitt
JASON HEWITT

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