Panthers plan to pick up Brian Burns’ fifth-year…

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Defensive end Brian Burns has become an impact player for the Panthers, which makes him someone the club wants to keep around.

To that end, General Manager Scott Fitterer said at his Friday press conference that Carolina plans to exercise Burns’ fifth-year option.

Burns was the 16th overall pick of the 2019 draft. In 17 games last season, he recorded 9.0 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 19 quarterback hits, and a pair of forced fumbles. He was named to his first Pro Bowl.

“He’s a guy that’s come out and produced for us,” Fitterer said. “I really like the leader he’s becoming and the man he is. So he would be one of those guys that we’ll definitely try to work on.”

In 48 career games with 35 starts, Burns has 25.5 sacks, 26 TFLs, and 55 QB hits. He’s also recorded eight passes defensed and six forced fumbles.