For the last couple of seasons, All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey has been the undisputed best player on the Carolina Panthers’ roster. This year, McCaffrey has missed nine games due to injury, opening the door for another young standout to claim that title.
In just his second season in the NFL, Carolina defensive end Brian Burns has become a force of nature and easily the most dominant player on the team. Through 12 games, he’s totaled six sacks, 17 quarterback hits, five tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles. That doesn’t even begin to tell the story of how much Burns has impacted his opponents this season, though. Right now, Burns might very well be the most disruptive defensive lineman in the conference outside of Rams DT Aaron Donald.
Some defensive studs fly under the radar long after they should have become household names. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Burns, though. Based on the early Pro Bowl voting, the secret is out.
Burns currently leads all NFC defensive ends in fan Pro Bowl voting with 50,054 total votes.
Thanks to the pandemic there won’t actually be a Pro Bowl game this year, so this is all ceremonial. While we won’t get to see Burns line up next to Donald and Khalil Mack, it’s still great to see him getting his due and proper respect.
