Ranking the NFC South EDGE defenders: Is Panthers’ Brian Burns already No. 1?
If you could actually invest in football players as you can in stocks (wait, that may really be possible now), you’d be wise to get in on Carolina Panthers defensive end Brian Burns. Because in 2021, there’s little to no doubt he’ll be soaring up the sheets.
How high has he soared in his own division? Where does Burns stack up in the talented pass-rushing market of the NFC South? Let’s find out.
Dante Fowler
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Okay, okay. We did tell you at the top that the NFC South had a bunch of talented edge players. And they do. But if we're going six-long, the beginning of this list is a little, uh, shaky. This spot came down to Marcus Davenport of the New Orleans Saints and the man you see here in Fowler. While Davenport has flashed an itty bit of promise, particularly against the run, the latter man's greater body of productivity earns him the win. Fowler has had some trouble sticking on, having already played for three teams over his five NFL seasons. Plus, his three-sack 2021 wasn't exactly a step in the right direction. But when he sticks, he sticks. The former third overall pick has chalked up a pair of standout seasons, with 8.0 sacks in 2017 and 11.5 sacks in 2019. And under new defensive coordinator Dean Pees, Fowler should get more chances to rush the passer from a stand-up position, which he did much of in that career-best campaign two years ago.
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Speaking of career years, Reddick is fresh off a highly productive 2021. His 12.5 sacks with Arizona were tied for the third-highest total this past season, ranking among the likes of T.J. Watt, Aaron Donald, Trey Hendrickson and Za'Darius Smith. Oh, and he also forced six fumbles, the second-most in the league. Can he replicate similar success in Carolina? Well, a reunion with his former college coaches from Temple University shouldn't hurt. Matt Rhule knows what he has in Reddick, a particularly athletic and versatile speed rusher, and will team with defensive coordinator Phil Snow to maximize those tools. Snow, known to throw out a number of different looks and bases, could be looking to utilize Reddick as a 3-4 linebacker off the outside or a traditional 4-3 from the edge. Wherever Reddick lines up, he'll be bringing some game-changing ability to a budding Panthers defense.
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Making a joke about Pierre-Paul's remaining fingers to start this blurb off would just be aiming for the low-hanging fruit. So let's not point that out. What we should make note of, rather, is that no matter how many digits he has left or how many years he's been doing this, he's still doing it at a frighteningly high level. Just look at last season, for starters, where he played and started each of Tampa's 20 games (including playoffs) and recorded 11.5 total sacks in his 11th(!) campaign. The sack totals had never really wavered either for the 2010 first-rounder since his prime days in New York, as he went for 8.5 in 2019, 12.5 in 2018 and 8.5 in 2017. Pierre-Paul's longevity can be attributed to how much of a freak athlete he is, something everyone could easily see from his combine performance. It was all just a matter of if he could put that potential together. Three Pro Bowls, an All-Pro selection, two Super Bowl rings and 89.0 sacks later—and we can certainly say he did.
Brian Burns
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Perhaps you were expecting him to be a bit higher based off the earlier hype from the lead-in. Well, we can't blame you if you did. But Burns being positioned here doesn't speak to a lack of his talent, it speaks to the surplus of this division's talent at the top of the list. With that being said, don't be surprised if this man sits atop the list come next year. There's no denying that his tantalizing combination of athleticism, fluidity, quickness and ability to generate power at just 23 years old is simply special. What really stands out in Burns' game is how polished he is for his age. The Florida State Seminole already carried an advanced bag of tricks into the league when he was drafted with the 16th overall pick in 2019 and has only added on. He can beat you with that pure speed, his slick spin moves, his swift sidesteps and just off natural strength. Burns has already begun stacking up the sacks at a decent pace thus far, posting 7.5 in his rookie campaign and 9.0 this past season. You can most definitely bank on him continuing the rise in what could be the biggest breakout surge of any player in 2021.
Shaquil Barrett
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If we touch back on Burns for a bit, we should mention his 22.1 percent pressure rate on third downs in 2020 was the second-highest in the league. So who was first? Yeah, this guy. Shaq's first "Hello, I'm here" performance actually came courtesy of your Carolina Panthers. Remember back in 2019 when he sacked Cam Newton three times in one night on primetime television? How about the next week when he added four more against the New York Giants? Well, whether you do or not, he hasn't looked back since. Barrett went on to finish that season with a league-leading 19.5 takedowns. He'd follow that up as an integral piece to the Super Bowl champion defense of 2021 with 8.0 more. And since he became a starter for the Bucs in 2019, his 157 total pressures are the most in the NFL. Barrett vs. Burns for the No. 2 spot was a closely contested bout. But it was Barrett's recent production and verification (in the form of a four-year, $72 million extension) that put him over here.
Cameron Jordan
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Whether you Panthers fans hate or tolerate this man, you must respect him. He's been way too good for way too long not to. Jordan has been an absolute pillar for the Saints, almost from the get-go of being drafted way back in 2011. With the exception of his 1.0-sack rookie campaign, the University of California product has averaged almost 10.5 sacks per season since 2012. He's also accumulated 279 total pressures over the past four years (second-most amongst defensive linemen), behind only Aaron Donald. And all those numbers also looks good alongside his three All-Pro distinctions, six Pro Bowl selections and the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team nod. The 6-foot-4, nearly 290-pounder is just simply the whole package. He's maintained the power, speed and move set through each of his 10 seasons, while never played below 78 percent of his defense's snaps. Plus, he's a well above average run defender, too. [vertical-gallery id=637937]
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