Giants acquire Brian Burns from Panthers to help bolster defensive line
Brian Burns walks on the field following an NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jan. 7, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. Credit: AP/Erik Verduzco
Now, that’s a making a splash.
On a busy day of roster-building by the Giants, they executed a trade at a defensive position where they needed help most.
Giants fans, meet edge rusher Brian Burns.
Help for Kayvon Thibodeaux is on the way after general manager Joe Schoen sent a 2024 second round pick (39th overall), and a 2025 fifth-rounder to the Panthers in exchange for Burns on Monday.
As much as the Giants defensive scheme may change this season, pass rushers are always in demand.
And Burns checks that box for a (mostly) new defensive staff for the Giants.
Burns, 25, will get a five-year deal with a maximum value of $150 million and $87.5 million guaranteed, according to NFL Media. He will sign the franchise tag to facilitate the trade.
Burns on the outside opposite with Thibodeaux, along with Dexter Lawrence manning the middle of the defensive line, will surely make new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen very happy.
McKinney signs with Packers
Giants safety Xavier McKinney scored big in free agency on Monday.
McKinney, who was on the field for every defensive snap last season, agreed to a four-year, $68 million deal with the Packers, according to ESPN.
The Safety position was a priority for the Packers and McKinney’s versatility was particularly attractive. He’s played both in the box and as a deep safety.
McKinney finished last season with a career-high 116 total tackles, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
An early second-round draft pick in 2020, McKinney, 24, missed most of his rookie season with a foot injury. He also missed eight games in 2022 after an ATV accident in Cabo during the team’s bye week.
Barkley's replacement
The Giants quickly identified their successor to Saquon Barkley when they signed running back Devin Singletary to a three-year, $16.5 million deal worth up to $19.5 million. In his only season with the Texans, Singletary finished with 1,091 yards from scrimmage (898 rushing yards) and four touchdowns.
Singletary, who turns 27 on Sept. 3, went to Houston on a one-year, $4 million deal after four seasons with the Bills.
He was expected to be a backup to Dameon Pierce, but when Pierce went down with an injury, Singletary got his chance and took over the starting role for the rest of the season.
From Week 9 to Week 18, Singletary rushed for 715 yards, which ranked third in the league over that span.
He has averaged 4.6 yards per carry in his 78 career games, with 20 touchdowns. He has also caught 175 passes for 1,164 yards and four TDs.
Bolstering the O-line
In need of help at guard, the Giants came to terms Monday with Jon Runyan Jr., formerly of the Packers, and whose father Jon, used to have remarkable on-field battles with Michael Strahan.
The younger Runyan was a full-time starter for the Packers over the past three seasons and hasn’t missed a game in his NFL career.
For a Giants team that is starved for starting-caliber depth, particularly at the guard position, Runyan should project as an instant starter. He is expected to sign a three-year, $30 million contract with $17 million guaranteed.
The Giants continued to add to their offensive line by signing former Raiders tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to a two-year, $14 million contract, according to NFL Network.
The 6-4, 330-pound Eluemunor spent the past three seasons with the Raiders, playing under new Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo the past two years.
Last season, the 29-year-old allowed just six sacks in 905 snaps played over the full 17 games, according to Pro Football Focus.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
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