New York Giants Addition Hailed as Instant Impact Player

Schoen and the Giants are betting big both that Brian Burns’ ascent will continue and that his impact can trickle down to the rest of the defense.

Through his first five seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Burns has produced 46 sacks with 246 total tackles. He is just one year removed from a career-high 12.5 sacks.

Lofty Expectations for New York Giants’ Brian Burns

The Giants finished last season with just 34 sacks, as a team, the fourth-lowest total in the NFL.

At least one NFL analyst believes Burns will play a major role in changing that this upcoming season.

“I thought about slotting Burns at the top of this list,” NFL Media’s Tom Blair writes, listing Burns as one of the 10 most impactful new arrivals across the NFL. “And maybe I should have. Of everyone in my top 10, he seems like the safest lock to play like a star for his new team in 2024. Unlike Allen and Diggs, the 26-year-old is still squarely in his prime, and unlike Jeudy, he’s a proven entity with a high floor.

“Burns has had a double-digit pressure rate every year of his career, per Next Gen Stats, and he should team with Kayvon Thibodeaux to boost a defense that finished 30th in pressure rate last season. The problem is, I could see Burns wrecking opponents this season and the Giants still stumbling because of offensive limitations. So, perhaps unfairly, he lands here, capped, in a way, by the lingering uncertainty around what Daniel Jones will bring to the table.”

If Burns continues to play at an elite level, and Thibodeaux improves on his career-high 11.5 sacks in his second season, New York is going to have the foundation of a defense capable of leading the charge in coming seasons.