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The New York Giants are coming up on their first regular game of the season, and while the team is often at the bottom of NFL power rankings going into the 2024-25 season, there are some positive signs going into the team’s future.
The Giants Have Brian Burns
In ESPN’s August 26 ranking of the top 100 NFL players going into the new season, linebacker Brian Burns was the highest Giant on the tally, coming in at No. 36.
New York traded for Carolina Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns in March 2024. The trade involved sending the Panthers a 2024 second-round draft choice (No. 39), a 2025 fifth-round selection and agreeing to a swap of fifth rounders for 2024, with the Giants getting No. 166 and sending No. 141 to Carolina, according to Giants.com. Burns’ deal is for five years, and it’s worth $141 million max with $87.5 million guaranteed.
In the feature, ESPN writer Jordan Raanan said that the Giants think Burns’ combination with Dexter Lawrence II and Kayvon Thibodeaux could take him to the “next level.”
“The Giants showed what they thought of Burns’ game in Carolina when they traded for him this offseason and then handed him a $141 million deal. So far, Burns has impressed,” Raanan wrote of the addition. “Cornerback Nick McCloud said he was in ‘awe’ of the explosion Burns possesses at his size (250 pounds). The Giants even think Burns can take his game to the next level playing with Dexter Lawrence II in the middle and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the other side.”
When signing to the Giants, Burns said he was “super excited” to join the fold and has family in the New York area.
“Right now, the moment is still a little surreal,” Burns said via Giants.com, . “It just got done not too long ago. I got my family here. They’re extremely happy for me. Right now, I’m kind of overtaken with a lot of emotions, but once I’m done processing, I’m super excited to be here. Once I’m done processing, then everything will come back down, and I’ll really sit in fruition. Right now, I’m kind of all over the place.”
Giants’ Offense May Be Better Than Predicted
Both Pro Football Focus and The 33rd Team have Giants’ offensive line ranked among the worst in the NFL going into the new season.
But, as Scott Salomon from Sports Illustrated notes, those rankings could be outdated.
“Those rankings are no doubt being driven by last year’s debacle, in which injuries tore apart any chance at cohesion among the starting five offensive linemen,” Salomon wrote.
The team’s offensive line will look different going into the new season. Salomon notes that the “influx of talent such as Jon Runyan, Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor,” as well as Greg Van Roten, will beef the line up.
“The Giants’ approach to their offensive line has been one where they will lean heavily on the veterans so that the offense can hit the ground running this fall and that Bricillo can have enough time to work with the still-developing youth so that the Giants have a re-established pipeline of talent,” Salomon added.
In ESPN’s 2024 NFL team preview, they also give some hope to the Giants’ offensive line, noting, “The Giants finally appear to have their WR1 in No. 6 overall pick Malik Nabers and an experienced offensive line that should be improved.”
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