NFL.com predicts strong season for Brian Burns
NFL.com's Eric Edholm recently broke down nine players that he believes will have strong, bounce-back seasons in 2024. Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns made the list.
"Burns was pretty darned good last season, all things considered, but it was a trying final year in Carolina..." wrote Edholm. "The result was that Burns' sacks and pressure rate were both down from the previous two seasons, even though his performance hadn't dropped off considerably. But now that Burns has been paid by the Giants, operating on a line featuring Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux, the hope is that the 26-year-old can make his sixth season the best of his career."
The Giants acquired the 6-foot-5, 250-pound linebacker in a trade with the Panthers during the first week of free agency. Burns was set to be one of the top free agents on the market this offseason before the Panthers placed the franchise tag on him.
The 26-year-old registered eight sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback hits, one forced fumble and two passes defensed across 16 games last season.
Burns' 46 career sacks are tied for 12th in the NFL since he entered the league in 2019, while his 59 tackles for loss are tied for sixth-most in that span. He also has eight forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries to go with his 95 quarterback hits.
Burns has never recorded fewer than 7.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits in a season, which he did as a rookie. He posted career-highs in sacks (12.5) and quarterback hits (22) in 2022, when he earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod. He is one of only eight players in NFL history to record at least 7.5 sacks in each of their first five seasons.
According to Pro Football Focus, the trio of Burns, Lawrence and Thibodeaux combined for 148 quarterback pressures in 2023.
Lawrence was recently named the No. 2 interior defensive lineman by PFF, and earlier this offseason, the analytics site listed him as the No. 8 player overall from the 2023 season. He registered 4.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, 21 quarterback hits and two passes defensed to go with his 53 total tackles (32 solo), along with a career-high 65 total pressures.
Meanwhile, Thibodeaux saw his sack total increase from four during his rookie campaign to 11.5 last season. The 23-year-old also set new career-highs with three forced fumbles, 12 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits.
All three players are below the age of 27.
The nine players featured on NFL.com's list were:
- QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
- QB Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
- RB J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers
- WR Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
- TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
- OT Orlando Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
- DT Daron Payne, Washington Commanders
- OLB Brian Burns, New York Giants
- LB Jack Campbell, Detroit Lions
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View photos of every move made by the Giants during the 2024 cycle.
LB Curtis Bolton - Free Agent Signing (August 28)
ILB Dyontae Johnson - Reserve/Injured (August 28)
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C Jimmy Morrissey - Practice Squad Exception (August 28)
K Jude McAtamney - International Practice Player Signing (August 28)
WR Miles Boykin, TE Lawrence Cager, WR Isaiah Hodgins, FB/TE Jakob Johnson, OT Joshua Miles, LB Ty Summers - Practice Squad Veteran (August 28)
LB K.J. Cloyd, DB Alex Johnson, OT Marcellus Johnson, DB Raheem Layne, RB Dante Miller, DL Casey Rogers - Practice Squad (August 28)
S Anthony Johnson - Claimed off Waivers from GB (August 28)
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LB Matthew Adams - Reserve/Injured - Designated for Return (August 27)
WR Isaiah McKenzie - Reserve/Injured; Prior to Cut to 53 (August 27)
LB Darrian Beavers, LB K.J. Cloyd, LB Tomon Fox, DB Alex Johnson, OT Marcellus Johnson, DB Raheem Layne, K Jude McAtamney, RB Dante Miller, C Jimmy Morrissey, DT Casey Rogers, TE Jack Stoll - Waived (August 27)
WR Miles Boykin, TE Lawrence Cager, DB Tre Herndon, WR Isaiah Hodgins, DB Darnay Holmes, FB/TE Jakob Johnson, DB David Long, OT Joshua Miles, OT Matt Nelson, WR Allen Robinson - Terminated, Vested Veteran (August 27)
DB Mario Goodrich, G Jalen Mayfield, DE Ovie Oghoufo - Waived, Injured, Prior to Cut to 53 (August 27)
RB Joshua Kelley - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (August 25)
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DB Jonathan Sutherland - Waived, Injured, Prior to Cut to 53 (August 25)
DT Timmy Horne - Waived, Injured, Prior to Cut to 53 (August 25)
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LB Trey Kiser - Free Agent Signing (August 19)
DL Ryder Anderson - Waived/Injured (August 19)
OT Yodny Cajuste - Reserve/Injured (August 19)
TE/FB Jakob Johnson - Free Agent Signing (August 16)
TE Tyree Jackson - Waived/Injured, Prior to Cut to 53 (August 16)
RB Joshua Kelley - Free Agent Signing (August 15)
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K Jude McAtamney - Free Agent Signing: Exempt/International Player (May 10)
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WR Allen Robinson - Free Agent Signing (May 9)
QB Nathan Rourke - Claimed off waivers from New England (May 7)
DB David Long - Free Agent Signing (May 1)
Giants select LB Darius Muasau with No. 183 pick in 2024 NFL Draft
Giants select RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. with No. 166 pick in 2024 NFL Draft
Giants select TE Theo Johnson with No. 107 pick in 2024 NFL Draft
Giants select CB Dru Phillips with No. 70 pick in 2024 NFL Draft
Giants select S Tyler Nubin with No. 47 pick in 2024 NFL Draft
Giants select WR Malik Nabers with No. 6 pick in 2024 NFL Draft
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WR Isaiah McKenzie - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 14)
WR/PR Gunner Olszewski - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 14)
LB Carter Coughlin - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 14)
OLB Brian Burns - Acquired via trade with Carolina Panthers (March 13)
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LS Casey Kreiter - Signed, Renegotiated Contract (March 12)
G Mark Glowinski - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (March 4)
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G Jalen Mayfield - Reserve/Future Signing (January 8)
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