New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen checked a major box and completed a positional overhaul before free agency even officially began this offseason.
By acquiring pass-rusher Brian Burns in a trade with the Carolina Panthers, Schoen and the Giants rounded out a formidable pass-rush duo with the savvy and productive veteran now set to lineup opposite ascending former first-round draft pick Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Burns, 26, arrives in the swamps of Jersey after developing a reputation as one of the more consistently disruptive pass rush presences in the league. Last season, Burns tallied eight sacks to go with his 50 tackles and has produced 46 sacks through the first five seasons of his career.
Assessing Brian Burns’ Impact on New York Giants
ESPN NFL analyst Mike Clay put together a list of the most impactful additions made by teams across the NFL this offseason, with the Giants acquiring Burns holding down the No. 10 spot.
“The Giants’ roster has many concern areas,” Clay writes for ESPN. “But the defensive line is not one of them after the trade for Burns. The former Panther has 46 sacks in five seasons and joins Dexter Lawrence II and Kayvon Thibodeaux on what could be a dominant line.”
As Clay points out, much of New York’s roster remains very much a work in progress. However, given that Thibodeaux and Burns combined for 83 quarterback pressures last season, there is a real possibility that this duo’s effectiveness up front could have a trickle-down impact on the rest of the defense.
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