Rhule Has High Expectations for Brian Burns
Despite being limited in his rookie campaign by Ron Rivera, Brian Burns had a successful 2019. He produced 25 tackles, 7.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. His wrist injury prevented him from being even better than he was, but he is fully recovered and ready to work.
Matt Rhule has been highly impressed with the speedy edge rusher so far and is looking forward to seeing him perform this season. Burns reportedly gained around 15 pounds over the offseason, which is ideal since he was slightly undersized. He played last season at 250 pounds, so it should be interesting to see how he moves with more weight on him. Here's what Rhule had to say about Burns:
"He takes the game very seriously and he showed up having put on some weight which is one of the keys to him. He's always going to be a great rusher, but we want him to be a complete and total defensive player. I think when you show up with the weight that he put on, you're basically saying hey, I want to do this. I like watching him out there, I think he's going to have a special year."
The weight gain was indicative of Burns' dedication to getting better for the Panthers, which explains Rhule's praise. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow is also high on Burns, both physically and mentally. Defensive tackles Derrick Brown and Kawann Short will be highly disruptive in the interior, which means that there will be more opportunities for Burns to make plays on the outside. Stephen Weatherly and Yetur Gross-Matos should be solid contributors on the line of scrimmage as well, especially if there is more attention placed on Burns' side. With an improved defensive line and Phil Snow's new scheme, the sky is the limit for Brian Burns.
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