Following the trade that sent edge rusher Brian Burns to the New York Giants, the veteran scored a lucrative five-year deal with Big Blue.
Burns, of course, will line up opposite of Kayvon Thibodeaux and the team clearly has high expectations of what he can add to Shane Bowen’s defense.
NFL Media recently released their predictions for each team’s MVP and Burns was the one selected for the Giants:
Brian Burns
OLB – Year 6Burns might have been the Panthers’ co-MVP a year ago (with Derrick Brown), and I think he will thrive on a Giants defense that features an emerging Kayvon Thibideaux on the opposite edge and an established Dexter Lawrence in the middle. This offense lost Saquon Barkley, still has OL issues to iron out — and there’s that curious QB situation to figure out. New York isn’t likely to be winning games 38-35.
If the Giants are going to surprise people this season, the defensive line likely will have to be a big reason why. The Burns trade and extension felt like one of the savviest fell swoops of the entire offseason. Some teams might not have viewed Burns with the same reverence because of his solid but hardly eye-popping sack numbers, but the tape reveals a consistently disruptive edge capable of earning All-Pro honors in New York.
Playing on the same defensive line as Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux will certainly be the best supporting cast Burns has ever been a part of. Linebacker Bobby Okereke should also help Burns’ productivity in his first year in a Giants uniform.
Given the names on the front seven, Burns may very well be primed for one of his best seasons yet.
Burn’s track record attracted the Giants given his ability to win one-on-one, something defensive coordinator Shane Bowen stressed about his defensive front in 2024.
There is a certain level of pressure on Burns to perform in New York given the money tied to his new contract. However, if he is even in the discussion of being the team’s MVP at the end of the season, he will have certainly lived up to the hype in his first season in Giants’ blue.
