The 33rd Team ranks Brian Burns trade among best offseason moves of 2024
With contact not yet permitted at practice, we have yet to see outside linebacker Brian Burns fully unleashed. Nonetheless, his speed and explosiveness off the line of scrimmage is already easy to see.
The 33rd Team's Marcus Mosher recently ranked the top five moves of the 2024 offseason, in which the Giants' acquisition of Burns came in at No. 3.
"The Giants were already set up well with Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux, but the trade for Brian Burns gave them a bonafide No. 1 edge rusher who can win at an absurd rate," wrote Mosher. "He turned 26 in April but already has 46 sacks and 95 quarterback hits. His speed and bend around the edge are among the best in the NFL, and now he'll play on a strong defensive line that will almost guarantee that he'll see fewer double teams than ever."
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 Giants acquired the 6-foot-5, 250-pound linebacker in a trade with the Panthers during the first week of free agency.
His 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.
"They have multiple All-Pro-caliber players on the unit, and none of them are older than 26," Mosher added. "The Giants have won two Super Bowls in this century, and both were due to their pass rush. Getting back to that formula is a smart idea for the franchise."
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.
As the article mentioned, all three players are below the age of 27. Lawrence is the oldest in the group and he doesn't turn 27 until November.
Here are The 33rd Team's top five offseason moves:
1. Falcons sign Kirk Cousins
2. Texans sign Danielle Hunter
3. Giants trade for, sign Brian Burns
4. Chiefs sign WR 'Hollywood' Brown
5. Jets revamp offensive line
View photos of every move made by the Giants during the 2024 cycle.
OT Evan Neal - Declared Physically Unable to Perform (July 23)
CB Aaron Robinson - Declared Physically Unable to Perform (July 23)
DB Jalen Mills - Declared Non-Football Injury (July 23)
DB Stantley Thomas-Oliver - Declared Non-Football Injury (July 23)
TE Theo Johnson - Declared Physically Unable to Perform (July 16)
RB Jacob Saylors - Free Agent Signing (June 18)
WR Chase Cota - Reserve/Injured (June 18)
CB Tre Herndon - Free Agent Signing (June 12)
TE Darren Waller - Reserve/Retired (June 10)
S Tyler Nubin - Selection List Signing (May 31)
DB Elijah Riley - Free Agent Signing (May 30)
RB Gary Brightwell - Waived, Injured (May 30)
TE Theo Johnson - Selection List Signing (May 22)
LB Darius Muasau - Selection List Signing (May 15)
CB Dru Phillips - Selection List Signing (May 14)
DL Elijah Chatman - Free Agent Signing (May 13)
OLB Jeremiah Martin - Waived (May 13)
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. - Selection List Signing (May 10)
WR Malik Nabers - Selection List Signing (May 10)
K Jude McAtamney - Free Agent Signing: Exempt/International Player (May 10)
WR Ayir Asante, WR John Jiles, DB Alex Johnson, OT Marcellus Johnson, G Jake Kubas, DE Ovie Oghoufo, DL Casey Rogers - Free Agent Signing (May 10)
RB Deon Jackson - Waived, Injured (May 10)
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
DB Nick McCloud - Restricted Free Agent Signing (April 15)
LB Matthew Adams - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (April 12)
DL Jordan Phillips - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (April 11)
WR Miles Boykin - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (April 9)
S/LB Isaiah Simmons - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (April 5)
RB Dante Miller - Free Agent Signing (April 5)
WR Isaiah Hodgins - Free Agent Signing (March 24)
CB Darnay Holmes - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 22)
OT Matt Nelson - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 22)
OL Austin Schlottmann - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 18)
OL Aaron Stinnie - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 18)
TE Chris Manhertz - Free Agent Signing (March 16)
TE Jack Stoll - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 15)
OL Jon Runyan - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 14)
OL Jermaine Eluemunor - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 14)
RB Devin Singletary - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 14)
QB Drew Lock - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 14)
DB Jalen Mills - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 14)
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)
LB Benton Whitley - Signed, Renegotiated Contract (March 12)
LS Casey Kreiter - Signed, Renegotiated Contract (March 12)
G Mark Glowinski - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (March 4)
C Jimmy Morrissey - Reserve/Future Signing (January 23)
WR Chase Cota - Reserve/Future Signing (January 23)
LB Tomon Fox - Reserve/Future Signing (January 10)
DL Ryder Anderson - Reserve/Future Signing (January 8)
OT Yodny Cajuste - Reserve/Future Signing (January 8)
DB Kaleb Hayes - Reserve/Future Signing (January 8)
WR Dennis Houston - Reserve/Future Signing (January 8)
RB Deon Jackson - Reserve/Future Signing (January 8)
ILB Dyontae Johnson - Reserve/Future Signing (January 8)
OLB Jeremiah Martin - Reserve/Future Signing (January 8)
G Jalen Mayfield - Reserve/Future Signing (January 8)
OT Joshua Miles - Reserve/Future Signing (January 8)
DB Stantley Thomas-Oliver - Reserve/Future Signing (January 8)
Currently on Giants.com
View photos of the New York Giants' 2024 active roster as it currently stands.
LB Matthew Adams
DL Ryder Anderson
WR Ayir Asante
CB Deonte Banks
OLB Boogie Basham
LB Darrian Beavers
TE Daniel Bellinger
S Dane Belton
WR Miles Boykin
OLB Brian Burns
TE Lawrence Cager
OT Yodny Cajuste
DT Elijah Chatman
RB Jashaun Corbin
LB Carter Coughlin
DL D.J. Davidson
QB Tommy DeVito
OL Jermaine Eluemunor
OL Joshua Ezeudu
CB Cor'Dale Flott
WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton
OLB Tomon Fox
K Graham Gano
P Jamie Gillan (6)
RB Eric Gray
CB Tre Hawkins III
DB Kaleb Hayes
CB Tre Herndon
WR Isaiah Hodgins
CB Darnay Holmes
DL Timmy Horne
WR Dennis Houston
WR Jalin Hyatt
TE Tyree Jackson
WR John Jiles
CB Alex Johnson
ILB Dyontae Johnson
T Marcellus Johnson
TE Theo Johnson
QB Daniel Jones
LS Casey Kreiter
G Jake Kubas
DL Dexter Lawrence II
QB Drew Lock
CB David Long Jr.
TE Chris Manhertz
G Jalen Mayfield
K Jude McAtamney
CB Nick McCloud
LB Micah McFadden
WR Isaiah McKenzie
OL Marcus McKethan
T Joshua Miles
RB Dante Miller
DB Jalen Mills
C Jimmy Morrissey
LB Darius Muasau
WR Malik Nabers
T Evan Neal
T Matt Nelson
S Tyler Nubin
DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches
OLB Ovie Oghoufo
OLB Azeez Ojulari
ILB Bobby Okereke
WR Gunner Olszewski
S Gervarrius Owens
CB Dru Phillips
DL Jordan Phillips
S Jason Pinnock
DB Elijah Riley
DL Jordon Riley
CB Aaron Robinson
WR Allen Robinson II
WR Wan'Dale Robinson
DL Casey Rogers
QB Nathan Rourke
G Jon Runyan Jr.
RB Jacob Saylors
OL Austin Schlottmann
C John Michael Schmitz Jr.
S/LB Isaiah Simmons
RB Devin Singletary
WR Darius Slayton
OL Aaron Stinnie
TE Jack Stoll
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux
OT Andrew Thomas
CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.
OLB Benton Whitley
