The New York Giants have the potential to field one of the most dominant and disruptive pass rushes in the NFL, especially after selecting Abdul Carter in the first round of April’s 2025 NFL Draft.
However, for as lofty expectations are for Carter to make an immediate impact, veteran Brian Burns remains the focal point–and a high-priced one at that, for the Giants’ optimism that the front-seven can be the backbone of a stingy defense.
Last season, Burns 8.5 sacks and 71 total tackles after being acquired by the Giants in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers.
As the 2025 season nears, former Giants executive and current NFL analyst Marc Ross suggests Burns could be on the verge of a major breakout and return to form in his second season in East Rutherford.
“New York’s defensive front was one of the league’s fiercest units a season ago with Burns,” Ross writes, listing Burns as one of his players guaranteed to improve this season. “Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux leading the charge. Now with Carter joining the fray, which player will opponents double-team? It’s a pick-your-poison situation that won’t be fun for the opposition.
“Burns will surely face his share of double-teams, but he should regularly feast when presented with one-on-one matchups, leading me to think a double-digit sack and Pro Bowl campaign are on tap for the seventh-year pro.”
There’s a legitimate chance that Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen could experiment with fronts of Carter, Thibodeaux, and Burns in some looks, unleashing their potential to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks.
Moreover, Burns is the most accomplished pass rusher on the roster, and the fact that the 27-year-old will be joined by Carter lends plenty of optimism that these two will spend much of next season creating matchup nightmares for opposing offensive tackles on their way to making plays in the backfield.
Brian Burns Comfortable in Second Year with Giants
Steph Chambers | Getty Brian Burns has lofty expectations in his second season in the New York Giants’ defense.
Burns has built up a reputation as a difference-maker in the front-seven throughout his career, and the stage could be set for him to pin his ears back and go in his second season in Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s scheme.
“I would say the main thing is that being in year two,” Burns recently told reporters, on the value of continuity in scheme going into this season. “I’m more comfortable with the playbook. And now I have a deeper understanding as far as like last year, I knew my job, knew my assignment, knew where to be, but now I know why, why I’m doing certain things, and what he’s thinking. So being on that same accord with him helped me play faster.”
Burns playing faster is a dangerous proposition for opposing quarterbacks, given that he’s piled up 54.5 sacks through his first six seasons and is two years removed from a career-high 12.5 sack campaign with the Panthers.
The Giants signed Burns to a five-year contract worth upwards of $140 million after acquiring him in a trade last spring, and now that Carter is part of the mix along with Thibodeaux, New York could look to deploy Burns as a heat-seeking missile from different spots across the front-seven.
“I did it a little bit last year,” Burns told reporters, of moving around in the defense. “But, mainly in our base packages. So far what I mean by moving around is that our third down could be a little more exotic with the addition of Carter. It’s kind of like pick your poison.”
Giant Question Mark Remains for New York’s Offense
Luke Hales | GettyMalik Nabers remains the most explosive weapon for the New York Giants’ offense.
Malik Nabers emerged as a difference-making playmaker in the Giants’ offense, as a rookie last season, and could be on the cusp of climbing the rankings at the position across the league in 2025.
Nabers, chosen No. 6 overall in the 2024 draft, averaged 11 yards per reception while catching 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games.
However, there’s a legitimate question as to whether the Giants have done enough to build around the league’s fifth-leading receiver from last season.
As 2025 nears, Pro Football Focus lists the Giants as the No. 24-ranked receiving corps in the NFL.
“The Giants’ passing attack isn’t just Malik Nabers,” Trevor Sikkema writes for PFF. “But he represents the biggest piece of the pie. Nabers earned an 87.1 PFF receiving grade as a rookie despite a terrible quarterback situation. He was the only Giants receiver to earn a single-season receiving grade higher than 65.0 in 2024.”
“Tyrone Tracy Jr., Theo Johnson, Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt make up the same group from 2024, which posted a 29th-ranked 67.1 PFF receiving grade.”
If Slayton emerges as a complementary deep threat to Nabers, for Russell Wilson, able to maximize the new Giants quarterback’s propensity for pushing the ball deep in the vertical passing game, and Johnson makes strides as a pass-catching threat at tight end, perhaps the Giants climb the rankings in 2025. But, with the season approaching, this group has some work to do to disprove the doubters after a mediocre 2024 campaign.
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