There won’t be a hard cap placed on the amount of snaps per game for Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns.
But the Giants don’t want to wear out their edge rush workhorses, either.
Thibodeaux (86.8 percent of the defensive snaps playing under former Giants coordinator Wink Martindale) and Burns (82.8 percent in his 16 games playing for the Panthers) both ranked among the NFL’s top 18 edge rushers in total defensive snaps logged last season.
Is that replicable?
percent of the Giants’ snaps last season. Noah K. Murray for the NY Post
“The biggest thing is no drop-off,” new outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen said. “If Burns or K.T. is tired, we have to get the next guy in. We have to have waves of fresh players. If you look at any of the great fronts over the years who have had consistent production, there is no drop-off. My push to all the non-starters is that the standard is the standard, and whoever is in there has to uphold it.”
Bullen’s approach suggests the Giants will value keeping both Azeez Ojulari and Boogie Basham — two former second-round picks both on contract years — when it comes to cut day.
Ojulari’s long injury history and Basham’s quiet 2023 season upped the urgency for the Giants to trade for Burns.
“Azeez is an athletic, capable pass rusher with a natural feel for it. To see a healthy Azeez is a good thing,” Bullen said. “Azeez fits more in the K.T.-Burns athletic mode. Boogie is more in the bigger body mold. To have different skill sets go out there and throw different pitches at the tackles will help us.”
Preserving fresh legs for the fourth quarter is Bullen’s ultimate goal.
His top edge rusher was under 79 percent three straight years as Cardinals outside linebackers coach.
“It’s more of an art than a science,” he said.
The Giants started training camp wanting to establish an early starting five on the offensive line and let them gel.
Due to various injuries and position reshuffling, the projected Week 1 starters Andrew Thomas, Jon Runyan Jr., John Michael Schmitz, Greg Van Roten and Jermaine Eluemunor still have not lined up together.
“If you can get your top seven or top eight working together, that’s probably the best you can do in this league,” offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo said. “Injuries are a result.”
The Giants signed safety Raheem Layne, The Post confirmed, and reportedly added safety Jonathan Sutherland after a workout on Wednesday’s team off day.
Layne has played 11 career games and is coming off of a torn ACL.
Sutherland spent time with the Seahawks.
Safeties Gervarrius Owens, Elijah Riley and Jalen Mills are sidelined by injuries.