FA Fits: Boosting the Pass Rush with a 6’5″, 25-Year-Old Menace Along the Edge
K. Joudry
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Minnesota tried and failed to address their pass rush needs during the previous pair of offseasons. Initially, there was Za’Darius Smith, who eventually forced his way out with a trade request. Minnesota then shifted things over to Marcus Davenport, who didn’t overturn his reputation of being injury prone since he only hopped into four games for the Vikings in 2023 (two of which were partial games).
These failures can’t dissuade Kwesi Adofo-Mensah from continuing to pursue other options.
Enter Brian Burns. For the past five seasons, Burns has been a pass rushing menace for the Carolina Panthers. He was chosen 16th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft and has lived up to the draft slot, proving to be consistently disruptive. Does he leave the sinking ship in Carolina to latch onto a defense on the rise in Minnesota?
Boosting the Pass Rush with Brian Burns
Start with his size and athleticism.
The 25-year-old stands at 6’5″ and weighs 250 pounds. He ran a 4.53 forty leading into the draft, a time that’s a bit faster than Danielle Hunter’s 4.57 time. In fact, Burns finished with a (partially projected) 9.9 RAS Score, suggesting he’s a rare athlete within a position — edge rusher — that’s full of rare athletes.
Now, it’s worth noting that his numbers dipped a bit while making the switch to a 3-4 defense in 2023. The season prior, Burns saw his sack total hit 12.5 while his TFLs were at 17. The end of 2023 saw Burns sitting at 8 sacks (the same total as D.J. Wonnum) alongside 16 TFLs. His tackles dropped from 63 to 50.
Obviously, sacks aren’t the be-all, end-all for pass rushers. And, to be sure, he’s better than the improving Wonnum. PFF insists that Burns is this year’s 5th-best free agent. Their grading system slots him in as this season’s 39th-best edge rusher, finishing with a 74.1 grade overall.
With the Vikings, Burns would become Robin as Danielle Hunter continues being Batman (assuming that Mr. Hunter sticks around, of course). In a season or two, the roles could reverse, but Hunter is the better player in the present moment. And, for whatever it’s worth, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Burns would see more desirable matchups with Hunter demanding so much respect, opening the possibility to push the sack total back into the double digits.
The question, then, comes back to price. What does an EDGE1/2 cost on the open market?
The recent deals for Rashan Gary (4 Years, $96M) and Montez Sweat (4 Years, $98M) are important data points. Would something within the range of 4 years and $90-$95 million be enough to get the job done for Burns? Could Minnesota go much higher?
Kicking things up to $100 million would mean an average of $25 million, a total that equals Myles Garrett. Too ambitious, perhaps, for someone who is very good but not an All Pro within the current context of NFL edge rushers.
Lingering over all of this discussion is the possibility of a Panthers franchise tag. After all, that’s what PFF predicts will occur (or, at least, that seems to be what’s implied with the 1-year, $21.92 million projection) and it’s not hard to see why. Simply letting a wonderful pass rusher walk as the team tries to ascend from the NFL’s basement would be an odd move that’s seemingly counterproductive.
These Panthers, though, are tough to pin down. The past year or two has shown that things are majorly off in Carolina, so the possibility exists that Mr. Burns wouldn’t look upon a franchise tag too favorably.
Brian Flores is a well-respected blitzing wizard who is going to continue building on the foundation he helped establish in 2023. Danielle Hunter should be a major part of the plan, but Minnesota is in desperate need of a youthful complement. Keep an eye on Brian Burns as free agency gets closer.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.