For all of their deficiencies, the New York Giants have built at least one clear strength in recent years. They have one of the most talented groups of edge defenders in the NFL, headlined by Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux. All three players are capable of producing double-digit sacks in any given season.
But even after a dominant year from Burns in which he led the NFL in sacks, the unit is still flying under the radar. Carter Bahns of CBS Sports recently ranked the edge rusher situations of all 32 NFL teams. He put the Giants in sixth, behind the Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
What else does Big Blue's trio have to do to be considered among the NFL's elite?
Giants' edge rusher group deserves to be vaulted into elite category
Bahns was nothing but complimentary of New York's unit, saying, "There are three starting-caliber players in a group with only two starting jobs. One of them could be a trade deadline casualty, but for now, the Giants find themselves with an enviable problem."
Still, it's hard to justify ranking the G-Men outside of the top five.
After trading for Myles Garrett, the Rams deserve the top spot. No issues there. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter are enough to put the Texans in the top two, even if their depth at the position is questionable.
That's where Big Blue should enter the conversation. The Steelers and Giants are in similar situations at edge defender, with an established veteran and two young stars headlining the unit. But Burns was a step ahead of T.J. Watt last season, and it's hard to argue that Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig have more juice than Carter and Thibodeaux.
Denver's edge group was incredibly productive last season, but if Jonathon Cooper's ongoing legal issues cause him to miss time, the group gets thin quickly.
It's hard to even see an argument for the Jaguars being listed above the Giants.
Burns will likely see his sack numbers regress a bit after finishing second in the league with 16.5 sacks. Still, Carter and Thibodeaux should be able to pick up the slack. If Carter converts more of his pressures into sacks, he could quickly become one of the more dangerous edge rushers in the NFL. In Dennard Wilson's system, this group will quickly establish itself as elite.
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