The Panthers have two of the fastest pass rushers in the NFL this year when it comes to average time to get across the line of scrimmage.
According to Next Gen Stats, nobody is doing it quicker than first-round pick Brian Burns, who is averaging 0.72 seconds. That’s .03 seconds better than anyone else. Carolina’s veteran linebacker Bruce Irvin is also among the league leaders – he comes in at No. 5 with a 0.76-second average.
That initial burst off the line of scrimmage has helped Burns get to 4.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits.
However, things have been slowing down for Burns the last month or so of the season. Starting in Week 4 when Bruce Irvin made his debut in the lineup, Burns saw his playing time begin to dwindle. After playing 44, 39 and 56 snaps from Weeks 1-3, he saw his defensive snap count drop to just 38 against the Texans.
Burns compounded the issue in that game by slamming his fist into the field after a partially blocked punt (he was frustrated he didn’t block it out right). He has since undergone surgery and hasn’t made as much of an impact while wearing protection on his wrist.
Things bottomed out last week when Burns only saw 11 snaps against the Packers.
While it’s good the Panthers have a plethora of quality pass rushers like Irvin and Mario Addison, their success shouldn’t come at the cost of playing time for guys like Burns, who represent the future of the defense.
Ron Rivera needs to put his first-round pick on the field more if he’s serious about staying in the playoff race and sticking around in 2020.
