The Los Angeles Rams have wanted Carolina Panthers Edge Rusher Brian Burns going back to the 2022 trade deadline when the Rams offered two first-round draft picks for the 6’5″ 250lbs, former first-rounder. Now, Burns is headed toward free agency and the Rams have one glaring hole in their roster, edge rusher.
Brian Burns Bio and Stats
The Panthers chose to exercise Burns’ rookie fifth-year option in 2023. Carolina has refused several trade offers, essentially taking him off the market heading into 2023’s trade deadline. Burns has 46 sacks and 142 pressures in the 80 games of those seasons. While he took a step back in overall production in 2023, he is 11th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate, at 21 percent.
Pro Football Focus ranks Burns as the 5th best player in free agency this season.
Los Angeles Rams Pass Rush Need
According to Pro Football Reference, the Rams had a pressure rate of 18.7 percent, 5th worst in the league. Aaron Donald led the team with 84 pressures, after him there was a sharp decline in pressure. Starting edge rushers Byron Young and Michael Hoecht had a combined 89 pressures. The defense relied heavily on Ernest Jones to generate pressure on blitzes, which he did well but left the second level vulnerable to savvy offenses.
Burns Bidding War
There will be several teams wanting his services, but the Rams are the most complete team that will be fighting for Burns. The rest of the teams on this list have a similar amount of cap space but have a lot of other areas to address. This will be the Rams top priority, so they will be willing to make the best offer.
Burns will likely fetch between $25-$30 million per year which puts a dent in the Rams current $41.5 million in cap space. But the Rams have the dead weight that they will likely part ways with this offseason in addition to the contract restructuring wizardry they are known for.
The Rams have the means and the focus to land this free-agent big fish and it will go a long way to helping them get back to playing competitive football into 2025.
