Giants' Brian Burns reacts to Daniel Jones participating in joint-practice fight

Star pass-rusher Brian Burns joined the New York Giants from the Carolina Panthers via a trade in March and, thus, is still learning about new teammates such as quarterback Daniel Jones.

Burns spoke with reporters after Jones participated in a bit of a fracas during Monday's joint practice with the Detroit Lions ahead of Thursday's preseason game between the clubs at MetLife Stadium.

"I’m going to need him to back up and let his O-line handle that," Burns said about Jones, as shared by Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "Daniel, he’s a competitor, man. He’s a fighter, so I don’t expect anything less from him. But I don’t need him in that. I don’t need him to get hit. Keep him healthy."

Jones suffered two different worrisome neck injuries from the fall of 2021 through the 2023 season before he went down with a torn ACL last November. As much as the 27-year-old is working to return to full fitness leading up to New York's regular-season opener versus the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8, he likely also wants to win teammates such as Burns over after general manager Joe Schoen explored landing a quarterback with a top pick in this year's draft.

"Tempers start to flare when it’s hot and you’ve got people hitting you," Burns continued. "We want to keep the fights to a minimum, but that’s just training camp. I’d rather not fight. That definitely can have you exhausted."

Former NFL punter and current ESPN personality Pat McAfee said during his Monday show that he "absolutely loves" that Jones didn't shy away from getting involved in a practice fight even though the signal-caller was rocking a red non-contact jersey. Jones said after Monday's practice he doesn't think the color of his jersey should keep him from participating in such a skirmish because he wants to "stand up for (his) guys."

Despite what some outsiders may want to believe, individuals within the Giants, such as head coach Brian Daboll, have made it clear they believe Jones is the best quarterback on New York's roster. Jones can only prove his worth to the organization if he stays healthy, but he indicated on Monday he won't back down from any challenge or fight heading into what could become a career-defining season for the 2019 first-round pick.

With that said, NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY noted that Giants players "will love" seeing video of Jones defending his guys on Monday.