Outside linebacker Brian Burns is one of the top pass-rushers in the league. His joining the New York Giants bolstered the team's front seven and has helped give the Giants more credibility on the defensive side of the ball before a snap has even been played.
However, the edge rusher known for pressuring quarterbacks is facing quite a bit of pressure himself ahead of the 2024 season, according to CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin. Benjamin placed Burns No. 11 (of 12) on his list of the 12 non-quarterbacks under the most pressure for the upcoming season.
"Burns got a lucrative commitment after arriving via trade; specifically, his $28.2 million-per-year average ranks third among all edge rushers, behind only Nick Bosa and Josh Allen, even though he's had double-digit sacks in just one of four NFL seasons," Benjamin wrote in justifying Burns's inclusion on the list.
"With Brian Daboll's offense still a work in progress, he could be critical to their trajectory."
Benjamin isn't wrong with his logic. The 26-year-old Burns, whom the Giants acquired for a second-round pick this year and a fifth-rounder next year, has nearly 50 sacks to his name, and in 2022, he tallied 12.5, a career-high.
Last season, Burns took a step back, only notching eight sacks, though to be fair, he didn't have a complimentary pass rusher in Carolina.
Things should be different, though, for Burns in New York. He'll have Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence II on the field with him as the Giants look to convert more of their pressures into sacks, primarily using their front seven.
One player who could arguably be facing more pressure is third-year offensive tackle Evan Neal. Neal was a heralded Top 10 pick out of Alabama, but his time with the Giants, who picked him seventh overall in 2022, has been marred with struggles and injuries.
The Giants, who didn’t draft an offensive lineman this year, have thrown their support behind Neal, who spent the off-season recovering from ankle surgery. While injuries have been a part of his issue, so too has inconsistent technique, which has seen Neal lean more heavily on his size and raw power than on his technique, the latter of which new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo hopes to fix.
The Giants as a whole face a lot of pressure in 2024, coming off their 6-11 team last season, but if they can get some of these young veterans to bring the goods, they should be much more productive in the coming year.
