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There was only one player who had more sacks than New York Giants edge rusher Brian Burns last season: Myles Garrett, who broke Michael Strahan's single-season record with 23.
Burns was one of the most dominant players in all of football in 2025, racking up 67 tackles, 16.5 sacks, 31 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and seven passes defender.
No one can question just how productive Burns was during his second season with the Giants. But is it possible he could take a big step back in 2026?
More specifically, is it plausible to think that Burns might not be the same with Dexter Lawrence no longer attracting so much attention in the trenches?
Ed Valentine of Big Blue View pointed out some rather concerning statistics for Burns in a recent mailbag, and it's hard not to look at the numbers with raised eyebrows.
"I do understand how some people can call Burns overrated. He was second in the NFL in sacks last season, but his advanced pass rush numbers don’t back that up," Valentine wrote. "His pass rush pressure rate of 7.7% was only 30th among 62 qualifiers. His pass rush win percentage of 7.0% was 60th. Those are from Pro Football Focus. ESPN ranked Burns 11th in pass rush win rate among edge defenders."
So, here's what I'll say about that.
First of all, Burns has been a good pass rusher throughout his entire NFL career. He rattled off 12.5 sacks with the Carolina Panthers in 2022, and between 2020 and 2025, he has never finished with less than eight sacks in a single campaign. He also totaled 7.5 sacks during his rookie year in 2019. That was his career low.
New York Giants edge rusher Brian Burns. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.
Now, did Burns have a career year last season? Absolutely. But it's also entirely possible that it was breakout showing for the Florida State product.
Obviously, having Lawrence up front helped. But you want to hear something funny? Lawrence wasn't the most double-teamed defensive tackle in football last year. You know who was? DJ Reader, whom the Giants just signed in free agency.
There is certainly something to be said for Lawrence's abilities as a pass rusher compared to Reader, this even though the former only logged a half of a sack in 2025. In fact, Reader only played in 53 percent of the Detroit Lions' defensive snaps last season. He has also been under 60 percent in each of his last three campaigns.
Nevertheless, Reader still attracts considerable attention when he is on the field, and it should be noted that New York also has pass-rushing threats like Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Arvell Reese. You can even include Chauncey Golston in that mix, and I think Golston will get more playing time this coming fall.
I'm not too concerned about Burns. I don't think anyone could watch his film last season and say that he wasn't absolutely fantastic, regardless of what PFF's numbers may say about him.
I like Pro Football Focus, but it's hardly a be-all-end-all for NFL players. It's merely a good reference, and sometimes, it's wrong.
My final thoughts? I think Burns will be just fine in 2026. I'm not saying he'll finish with 16.5 sacks again, especially considering that the Giants have so many other capable sack-getters on their roster. But he will make a huge impact once again.
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Burns was one of the most dominant players in all of football in 2025, racking up 67 tackles, 16.5 sacks, 31 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and seven passes defender.
No one can question just how productive Burns was during his second season with the Giants. But is it possible he could take a big step back in 2026?
More specifically, is it plausible to think that Burns might not be the same with Dexter Lawrence no longer attracting so much attention in the trenches?
Ed Valentine of Big Blue View pointed out some rather concerning statistics for Burns in a recent mailbag, and it's hard not to look at the numbers with raised eyebrows.
"I do understand how some people can call Burns overrated. He was second in the NFL in sacks last season, but his advanced pass rush numbers don’t back that up," Valentine wrote. "His pass rush pressure rate of 7.7% was only 30th among 62 qualifiers. His pass rush win percentage of 7.0% was 60th. Those are from Pro Football Focus. ESPN ranked Burns 11th in pass rush win rate among edge defenders."
So, here's what I'll say about that.
First of all, Burns has been a good pass rusher throughout his entire NFL career. He rattled off 12.5 sacks with the Carolina Panthers in 2022, and between 2020 and 2025, he has never finished with less than eight sacks in a single campaign. He also totaled 7.5 sacks during his rookie year in 2019. That was his career low.
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New York Giants edge rusher Brian Burns. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.
Now, did Burns have a career year last season? Absolutely. But it's also entirely possible that it was breakout showing for the Florida State product.
Obviously, having Lawrence up front helped. But you want to hear something funny? Lawrence wasn't the most double-teamed defensive tackle in football last year. You know who was? DJ Reader, whom the Giants just signed in free agency.
There is certainly something to be said for Lawrence's abilities as a pass rusher compared to Reader, this even though the former only logged a half of a sack in 2025. In fact, Reader only played in 53 percent of the Detroit Lions' defensive snaps last season. He has also been under 60 percent in each of his last three campaigns.
Nevertheless, Reader still attracts considerable attention when he is on the field, and it should be noted that New York also has pass-rushing threats like Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Arvell Reese. You can even include Chauncey Golston in that mix, and I think Golston will get more playing time this coming fall.
I'm not too concerned about Burns. I don't think anyone could watch his film last season and say that he wasn't absolutely fantastic, regardless of what PFF's numbers may say about him.
I like Pro Football Focus, but it's hardly a be-all-end-all for NFL players. It's merely a good reference, and sometimes, it's wrong.
My final thoughts? I think Burns will be just fine in 2026. I'm not saying he'll finish with 16.5 sacks again, especially considering that the Giants have so many other capable sack-getters on their roster. But he will make a huge impact once again.
NY Giants Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Giants. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
Continue reading...
