Giants OLB Brian Burns Credits Haason Reddick for Helping Him Become a Pro

Brian Burns learned how to be a pro from one-time teammate Haason Reddick. Now Burns wants to be there as a mentor for Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Brian Burns / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Outside linebacker Brian Burns wears No. 0 for the New York Giants, but he hopes to leave a lasting impression on both blue box scores and morale.

Burns is far and away the Giants' headlining veteran acquisition this offseason, brought over from Charlotte in a trade with the Carolina Panthers.

Though the 26-year-old has a good bit left in the tank (picking up 16 tackles for a loss and eight sacks during his final prowls as a Panther last season), Burns appears to be embracing a unique mentorship role of sorts when it comes to helping third-year pro Kayvon Thibodeaux take the next step in his development.

Brian Burns (53) celebrates a sack against the New York Giants / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

"We just spend a lot of time trying to develop that chemistry," Burns said at the Giants' organized team activities on Thursday. 

"We also compete in everything we do, on the field, off the field. Having somebody to push me and I'm able to push, that's going to be a positive this year."

Burns, Carolina's first pick from the 2019 draft, earned official recognition for his early production in year three, accepting the first of two Pro Bowl invites after the season. The 29.5 sacks that Burns has registered over the last three years is good for 11th-best in the league.

The newly-minted Giant knows how important an early, if not contemporary, mentor can be. Burns fondly recalled his brief yet prosperous relationship with veteran edge rusher Haason Reddick, who spent the 2021 season with him in Carolina.

Before Reddick left for Philadelphia, that season was a turning point for Burns in his career.

Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick was a mentor for Brian Burns. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

"In my rookie year, I had a lot of vets to learn from. In my second year, I was kind of the leader of the group. My third year, that's when Haason came to the Panthers," Burns said. 

"That's when I developed that competitive nature with the other end on the other side. I was able to learn a lot from him.”

Burns said Reddick taught him the finer points of football that some younger players tend to overlook. Those lessons ultimately paid off, as in 2021, Burns earned the first of two consecutive Pro Bowl berths after posting 9.0 sacks and 18 quarterback hits.  

Although Reddick was gone the following season, his impact on Burns continued. Burns recorded his first (and only to date) double-digit sack season with 12.5 sacks and 22 quarterback hits, both career highs.  

He also cut down on his missed tackles, dropping from 8 in 2021 to 4 in 2022. He also posted a career-high 63 tackles while being asked to blitz for the Panthers' defense.

Burns has found his way, so to speak, in the NFL thanks in part to Reddick’s mentorship. He has made himself available to help Thibodeaux however he can.

“It's a similar situation going into my sixth year, (Thibodeaux) going into his third year. That's the same as me and Hasson. That did wonders for my career," Burns said. 

Besides being there as a mentor for Thibodeaux, Burns said the two have been pushing each other to get better every day so that come the regular season, they can fire up a Giants pass rush that hasn’t been potent in years.

“Right now, we're just pretty much getting used to each other, bouncing a lot of ideas off of each other,” Burns said.

“We just spend a lot of time trying to develop that chemistry. Also, healthy competition. We almost compete in everything we do, on and off the field. Having somebody to push me and I'm able to push, that's going to be a positive this year.”

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