5 realistic Atlanta Falcons free agent targets for the 2024 offseason

4. Carolina Panthers OLB Brian Burns

Over the last few seasons, I have seen first-hand how talented Brian Burns is as a pass-rusher. While the Carolina Panthers came and went defensively under many previous regimes, now may be the time for Burns to leave for another franchise. Raheem Morris may have spent the better part of the last few seasons in Los Angeles, but he has to have some working knowledge of the Panthers' pass-rusher.

Landing Burns would be a huge boost to the Atlanta defense that is almost back to being consistently good. It would also make Carolina's defense worse. Not to say that Carolina can be much worse than the Panthers were a season ago, but one of their two wins was over the Falcons in one of the worst games of the Arthur Smith era in Atlanta. So yes, adding Burns would be so swell!

I am not entirely sure if the Falcons are going to add a pass-rusher in free agency. This could be a position group they look to add a guy with either a first-round or day-two pick. If Atlanta goes with a pass-rusher in the first round, we are far more likely to see Alabama star Dallas Turner play for the Dirty Birds than for Burns to come over in free agency. Two good players, but mutually exclusive.

Atlanta can afford Burns, but a Charlotte return is possible, as well as him possibly going elsewhere.