New York Giants Improved Most on This Unit, Says ESPN

The New York Giants personnel on this unit improved significantly during the off-season.

Apr 25, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; (Left) NY Giants #0 Brian Burns and #5 Kayvon Thibodeaux during the NY Giants and NY Jets draft party at MetLife Stadium. / Michael Karas / USA TODAY NETWORK

An NFL team can’t address all of its needs in one off-season, but as far as the New York Giants are concerned, they did improve in one very important area, according to ESPN.

That area is the pass rush, where the Giants acquired outside linebacker Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers via trade to pair him with third-year player Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Burns, acquired for a second-round pick this year and a fifth-rounder next year, has never recorded fewer than 7.5 sacks in his five NFL seasons, his rookie campaign being the one in which he recorded 7.5 sacks. 

• RELATED: Brian Burns Excited to Be Part of Giants Pass-rushing Triumvirate

The hope is that when paired with Thibodeaux, who last year recorded 11.5 sacks, the Giants' defensive front seven will have more than enough firepower to disrupt opposing quarterbacks while leaving the defense's back end free to engage in coverage. 

According to ESPN’s pass-rush win-rate stats, Burns ranked 11th among outside linebackers last year, notching a 21 percent PRWR despite facing double-teams on 14 percent of his pass-rushing attempts. 

• RELATED: Brian Burns: The Good, the Great, and the Ugly

Despite this glowing improvement, the Giants' performance wasn’t enough to improve the team’s post-draft power ranking. ESPN ranked the Giants 28th before the draft, where New York remained after the draft. 

ESPN didn’t go into its reasons for the Giants’ low ranking, but it’s probably not a stretch to say that questions about the revamped offensive line and quarterback play top the list of biggest questions that must be answered before the Giants can even hope for a better ranking ahead of the coming season

---

• Follow and like us on Facebook.
• Submit your questions for our mailbag.
• Follow Patricia Traina on Instagram.
• Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.
• Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel