Carolina Panthers mailbag: When should trading OLB Brian Burns be considered?

The Panthers are facing an unfortunate start, as an 0-3 opening slate has soured the good feelings of an active and exciting offseason in Charlotte.

So, naturally, Panthers fans are frustrated and curious. That’s why The Observer’s weekly mailbag aims to satisfy (at least) the latter emotion with insight on Carolina’s favorite club.

Here are some standout questions from our social media replies this week:

@KeepPounding95 asks: If we are coming out of the bye at 0-6, when does GM Scott Fitterer begin fielding calls for a guy like Brian Burns?

Mike Kaye: The Panthers’ rough start will lead to some collateral damage. Carolina and Burns had their chance(s) to come to a contract extension agreement, but after an 0-3 start and an up-and-down performance by the defense, it’s hard to justify paying anyone big money at this point.

Last season, the Panthers reportedly turned down two first-round picks (in 2024 and 2025) and a 2023 second-round pick from the Los Angeles Rams in an offer for Burns. The Panthers passed on that offer because Burns is a cornerstone player with high upside and a Pro Bowl pedigree. Burns had two years left on his deal, so there was some long-term thinking involved there.

But with the Panthers unable to come to an extension agreement with Burns in a contract year, Fitterer should listen to offers leading up to the deadline — as early as now. If he can get two firsts for Burns, especially in 2024 and 2025, he should take that deal and run with it.

From there, the Panthers can assert that they tried to lock up Burns and compete, but neither goal was accomplished, so a rebuild will begin in earnest. Not having a 2024 first-round pick is a major sticking point for those who won’t accept the talk of patience and retooling.

The question is, though, can the Panthers still get a major haul for Burns? The pass rusher wants to be paid like a premier edge player, and so a team not only has to give up major assets for him, but also be willing to meet his contract demands, unless the organization wants to endure the headache of the franchise tag dance in 2024.

Trading Burns will be harder this year than last year, and the Panthers likely won’t get a Rams-esque offer for Burns, but the team could rationally claim the desire to win in 2022 and 2023 as the reason for the drop-off in return.

I think the Panthers would ultimately like to keep Burns, despite the public outlook of a deal not getting done. But, in reality, a Burns trade could give Carolina a fresh start and long-term assets to look forward to after another chaotic start to the season.

We’ll see how the next few weeks shake out. Seattle looked like a playoff contender who could use a consistent edge rusher on defense the other day.

Dylan asks: Why isn’t DJ Johnson getting playing time?

Greg asks: Why has Raheem Blackshear been inactive?

MK: I combined these two questions because I think the answers are largely the same. With no role on defense or special teams, you’re not going to get a jersey on game day.

Breaking it down even further, Johnson did little in the preseason or training camp to jump Amare Barno in the lineup on defense or special teams. The third-round pick was always going to be a long-term project, but so far, the defensive staff has seemingly put a playing priority on veteran players, especially as the team looks to climb out of an 0-3 hole.

When the Panthers traded up to draft Johnson in the third round, Fitterer and head coach Frank Reich made it sound like he could have a role as a part of a four-man rotation. They liked his ability to set the edge, despite being a project as a pass rusher. However, even after Marquis Haynes (back) was placed on injured reserve in Week 1, Johnson has yet to receive a single snap on defense.

In a way, it’s admirable that the Panthers aren’t forcing Johnson onto the field without refinement. But the team did trade up for him in a notable round of the draft in a five-selection class. That’s why his absence is speaking volumes at the moment.

The team has had four undrafted rookies play on special teams over the past two weeks: offensive tackle Ricky Lee and guard Nash Jensen, who have been with the team since May, and linebacker Claudin Cherelus and cornerback D’Shawn Jamison, who were claimed off waivers from other teams in August. Johnson has been a healthy scratch during that two-week period. Fellow 2023 draft pick, defensive back Jammie Robinson, was also inactive against Seattle on Sunday.

When a team only has a handful of picks, it’s easy to follow the movement of the class. So far, the returns on Johnson — and even Robinson — have been hard to process in a positive light. But it’s early and they are rookies, so we’ll see how things play out as the team tries to recover from a rough start.

Blackshear is a bit more of a puzzling case. The previous regime loved his versatility and Reich praised the second-year running back — voluntarily — following the offseason program. It’s worth noting that Blackshear’s training camp and preseason touches were quite limited during the summer, but the thought — at the time — was he could be hindered by the team’s unwillingness to tip its hand from a play-calling standpoint.

Blackshear was the kick returner in Week 1. But he’s been inactive the past two weeks.

Wideout Laviska Shenault has seemingly stolen Blackshear’s projection as the main gadget player for the offense. Shenault is also the primary kick returner now.

The team also signed running back Tarik Cohen — who hasn’t played in a meaningful game since 2020 — to the practice squad, and that’s probably not a coincidence. In a way, Cohen is a preexisting template for Blackshear, and the veteran has a deep history with special teams coordinator Chris Tabor.

When Cohen is ready to rock, that could spell curtains for Blackshear’s time in Carolina, justified or not. Blackshear can play, but clearly he’s taken a backseat in the numbers game to Shenault on game days. Adding Cohen to the mix won’t help his case, either, especially if he’s added to the 53-man roster.

Ismael asks: Whats the most disappointing aspect you’ve observed from this Panthers?

MK: The tight end usage in Reich’s offense is probably as high on the list as anything.

Over the past three weeks, tight end Hayden Hurst’s targets, catches and yardage have all declined. He hasn’t even been targeted in the first half of the past two games.

On Monday, Reich attributed that decline to the quarterback reading his progressions. But Reich has historically made the position a priority in the passing game, so Hurst should be a regular first or second read in the offense.

In 2018, tight end Eric Ebron made the Pro Bowl after he became Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck’s second-most popular weapon in the passing game. He was targeted 110 times, according to Pro Football Reference.

In 2019, Reich’s second-most targeted pass-catcher was also a tight end, Jack Doyle, who had 72 balls thrown his way. In 2020, the Colts went to a committee of tight end weapons, with Doyle, Mo Alie-Cox and Trey Burton working as a mix-and-match trio. That group was targeted 119 times on the season.

In 2021, Alie-Cox and Doyle continued to split targets with a combined share of 88 looks.

Even going back to his two years as offensive coordinator in Philadelphia, tight end Zach Ertz — a perennial Pro Bowl selection, to be fair — was targeted 216 times over that span.

To be fair, the pass protection of the offensive line hasn’t been good through the first three games of the season, so the tight end position may be more of a blocking post at this point. But throughout the summer, Reich and others expressed excitement about the pass-catching role of the position within the offense.

Through three games, the Panthers have thrown the ball 129 times — 33 or more throws in each game — and the tight end position has made up 16 total targets (including a two-yard connection with fullback Giovanni Ricci). That’s 12.4% of the target share on offense with two different quarterbacks in the lineup.

Hurst, who was lauded as a key element of the passing game throughout the summer, has eight catches for 72 yards and a touchdown to start the season. His cohorts in the tight end room have contributed a combined three catches for 25 yards on three targets. As a group, the unit has produced less than 100 receiving yards through three games.

The Observer spoke with tight end Tommy Tremble in May, and he praised the new coaching staff for its willingness to teach aspects of the receiving game the previous group allegedly ignored. He has one catch for 15 yards and went the first two games without a target in the passing game.

Again, I caution that it’s really early in the season and things in the NFL change quickly, but that’s probably the most confusing aspect of the offense and overall team to this point, for me.