The New York Giants landed arguably the top pass rusher on the free-agent market this past March, acquiring edge rusher Brian Burns in a sign-and-trade with the Carolina Panthers.
The Giants sent two 2024 draft picks—a second-rounder and a fifth—as well as a 2025 fifth-round selection to the Panthers in exchange for Burns and a 2024 fifth-rounder.
New York then proceeded to sign Burns to a massive five-year, $141 million contract.
It looked like a great move for the Giants, who will now be pairing Burns with Kayvon Thibodeaux to form a potentially lethal pass-rushing duo.
But while Tony Catalina of Pro Football Network likes the idea of Burns and Thibodeaux playing together, he apparently isn’t too fond of the money Big Blue handed the now-former Carolina star.
That’s why Catalina gave the Giants a B-minus for their acquisition of Burns.
“Typically, trading for a dynamic pass rusher who is just 26 years old would warrant an A grade. In this case, while the Giants made a smart move in acquiring Burns, it came with the price of signing him to a monster five-year contract worth $141 million,” Catalina wrote.
So? That is the going rate for top-flight pass rushers, and Burns has unquestionably been one of the better pass rushers in the business the last several seasons.
The Giants’ defense looks pretty solid heading into 2024
There is a lot to like about New York’s defense heading into the 2024 NFL campaign.
Not only do the Giants have the Burns-Thibodeaux tandem, but they also have one of the league’s best defensive lineman in Dexter Lawrence up front and star linebacker Bobby Okereke.
Additionally, New York has some very interesting young pieces in its secondary, such as cornerbacks Deonte Banks and Cor’Dale Flott as well as safeties Jason Pinnock and Tyler Nubin.
The Giants weren’t exactly a great defensive team in 2023, but they should show significant strides in that area this coming season.
Offensively could be another story.
New York lost running back Saquon Barkley in free agency, and while it did select wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick, the team has limited weapons for quarterback Daniel Jones overall.
Plus, Jones himself is coming off of a torn ACL, and in the six games he played last season, he was miserable, throwing two touchdowns and six interceptions.
That being said, Jones is two years removed from leading the Giants to a nine-win playoff campaign, so we’ll see if he can bounce back in 2024.
We’ll also get to see if Brian Burns takes the defense to another level.
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