After two years together, the days of Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence co-leading the New York Giants’ defense are officially in the past.
The Giants traded Lawrence, their All-Pro defensive tackle, to the Bengals ahead of last month’s draft. That leaves Burns, who is fresh off a career-high 16.5 sacks, as the unquestioned face of the defense.
Burns turned heads in April when he told the New York Post that he didn’t want to play “this season or any other season” without Lawrence. Those comments came shortly after Big Dex, the Giants’ longest-tenured defender, requested a trade amid contract negotiations.
Speaking with the Post on Tuesday night, Burns confirmed he plans to suit up for the Giants this season.
“Man, I’ve been in this league long enough to understand ‘next man up’ whenever somebody leaves,’’ Burns said. “I was just really going to bat for my teammate.”
Burns added that the Giants “have to live” with Lawrence’s decision. The Giants acquired the No. 10 pick and subsequently selected Miami All-American offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa, who is expected to start at right guard.
“Of course I don’t want to play without him because that’s my friend, along with he’s a great player,” Burns said, “but we got some things out of it, and we just got to move on.’’
The Giants need another All-Pro season from Burns
If the Giants intend to get back on track under John Harbaugh, they’ll need Burns to build off the best season of his life.
Burns earned second-team All-Pro honors for the first time, forcing three fumbles and recording 22 tackles for loss. His 16.5 sacks trailed only the Browns’ Myles Garrett, who recorded an NFL record 23 en route to winning Defensive Player of the Year.
Burns’ 22 tackles for loss ranked third leaguewide behind Garrett’s 33 and the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, who finished with 28.
The pressure is on Burns to, put simply, keep creating pressure.
At least Burns won’t need to do it alone. The Giants added Ohio State standout edge rusher Arvell Reese with the No. 5 pick, and Abdul Carter tallied four sacks and two forced fumbles as a rookie.
Kayvon Thibodeaux remains on the roster after a career-low 2 1/2 sacks and five tackles for loss. The Giants have resisted trading Thibodeaux, the No. 5 pick in 2022, despite his underperformance over the last two seasons.
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