Edge rusher Brian Burns was the New York Giants' biggest addition of the offseason, Burns having been acquired from the Carolina Panthers for a 2024 second-round pick, an exchange of 2024 fifth-round picks, and a 2025 fifth-round pick.
Most analysts have lauded the Giants’ acquisition of the edge rusher, whom they proceeded to sign to a five-year, $141 million deal once the trade was consummated. New York is counting on Burns to pair with fellow outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux to beef up the front-seven pass rush.
But while the Giants’ acquisition of Burns has been widely lauded by various national media outlets, Anthony DiBona of Pro Football Network chose Burns as the Giants’ most overrated player.
"Not only did the Giants trade multiple draft picks for Burns, but they also made him the third-highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL,” DiBona said.
“Despite New York’s massive commitment, it’s fair to wonder if Burns has officially become overrated at this point. He was an impactful pass rusher for the Panthers, but it’s fair to wonder if he was ever considered elite. Burns recorded just 40 total pressures in 2023. The Giants certainly hope that he’ll play better moving forward."
Since his arrival in 2019, Burns has been one of the better pass rushers in the league, getting better than 7.5 sacks per season since his debut, one of three players (Myles Garrett and Chris Jones) to accomplish the feat. The addition of Burns will surely bolster the Giants' pass rush which already features names like Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Since entering the league as a first-round pick out of Florida State in 2019, Burns has registered 46 sacks and has missed just three regular-season games in his career.
What also needs to be taken into account is his value in the modern NFL. Good pass rushers are hard to come by; they are a hot commodity and are paid accordingly.
Burns is a perennial threat to earn double-digit sacks. While he did have a "down" year last season, tallying just eight sacks after posting an impressive 12.5 in 2022, it also needs to be pointed out that the Panthers defense hasn’t really offered the type of pass-rushing firepower that the 26-year-old Burns will have in Thibodeaux and Lawrence.
The Giants will face some tough quarterbacks this season, including two MVP candidates from their own division (Jalen Hurts of Philadelphia and Dak Prescott of Dallas) as well as the current league MVP (Lamar Jackson of Baltimore). All of the quarterbacks on the schedule pose their own unique challenges.
Burns was a good addition for the Giants, acquired for basically what the Giants ended up getting from Seattle when they traded Leonard Williams last year (a second-rounder and a fifth). That’s good value, not to mention it's unfair to label him “overrated” before he has even played a snap in East Rutherford.
