4 Carolina Panthers the Detroit Lions should have interest in trading for

1. DE Brian Burns

Burns is a top-end (if under the radar) edge rusher, with the third-most quarterback pressures in the league (24, according to Pro Football Focus) and four sacks so far this season. He fell just short of double-digit sacks in 2020 and 2021 (nine each season), and it’s a threshold that motivated him big-time heading into the season.

"Very. It’s a very big deal to me,” “It’s been pissing me off to be at nine these past two years."

Burns carries a $4.3 million cap hit this year, and he is under contract via his fifth-year option through 2023 ($16.012 million next year). A new team would have to embrace giving him a nice contract extension to justify giving up a premium draft pick, but Burns can be a long-term building block since he won’t turn 25 until April.

He could easily be a long-term building block in Carolina, but teams will be calling general manager Scott Fitterer about Burns and an attention-getting offer or two would be hard to turn down.

The Lions have Aidan Hutchinson, and simply not much else in terms of a pass rush force looking beyond this season. In a broader sense, adding top young talent to the defense has to be a top priority.

Should Holmes be willing to part with the 2023 first-round pick he has via the Rams, and maybe an extra later pick or two in 2023 or beyond, to get Burns? The answer is an absolute yes, but the odds don’t seem great.