Giants' Brian Burns, Andrew Thomas getting the best out of each other at camp
New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) goes against offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (78) during training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Center, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in East Rutherford. Credit: Corey Sipkin
Brian Burns hasn’t been a Giant for long. The pass rusher was acquired in a March trade with the Carolina Panthers. In the first week of training camp, he already has done the unusual, beating left tackle Andrew Thomas on a spin move.
“Man, that’s a fun matchup to watch,” coach Brian Daboll said Sunday. “Those guys go at it. They make each other better. They’re both really good football players, so I think it helps us as a team.”
When asked how his initial days of training camp have gone, Burns said with a laugh: “I haven’t been dropping [into coverage] a lot, so that looks good to me. As long as we keep those numbers to a minimum, I’m fine. I’d rather be going forward.”
Burns signed a five-year, $141 million contract with the Giants after the trade. The two-time Pro Bowler had 46 sacks in five seasons with the Panthers, including a career-high 12.5 in 2022.
Thomas is coming off a season in which he missed seven games with a hamstring injury.
“I think we’re making each other better,” he said after their battles Sunday. “I’m just working my craft every day. He’s pushed me to be better and I think I’m helping him to be a better player as well.”
Said Burns: “It’s been a constant battle between me and him. I embrace the opportunity.”
In defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s scheme, there is not a lot of blitzing. Much is asked of the front four.
Burns said the defense allowed “too many quarterback scrambles” on Sunday.
“I don’t think we kept a tight enough pocket. It’s still early. We’re still learning how to rush with each other, so it’s going to take time,” he said. “But day by day, we’re going to get better. I do take it seriously, and that puts a lot on our group, and I think we’ve got the guys to do it.”
Much will be required of the Giants’ front, especially with uncertainty in the secondary, aside from second-year cornerback Deonte Banks and fourth-year safety Jason Pinnock.
For Burns, the acclimation to the Giants has gone smoothly.
There is a reasonable expectation that friendly competition between Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux could bring out the best in each other. Outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari remains in the mix. He said he wants to be “an every-down player,” which would require him to be healthy enough to be on the field regularly. In the past two seasons, Ojulari has been available for 18 of the Giants’ 34 games.
“He’s a great pass rusher,” Burns said. “He’s very natural. He has natural ability. It comes very, very natural to him. I think he’s very gifted. Just his build alone, he has extremely long arms and natural leverage, so that makes him a premium pass rusher as far as his build. He’s been doing great so far. I expect big things from him this year.”
Big things also are expected of Dexter Lawrence, of course. Burns came to the Giants already familiar with Lawrence and his ability to dominate.
“Just look at him,” Burns said. “A guy that big shouldn’t be moving that fast. When he takes grown men and tosses them to the side, yeah, it’s amazing.”
Notes & quotes: Fourth-round draft pick Theo Johnson, who had been dealing with a hip issue, was cleared to practice. “I feel great,” said Johnson, a tight end out of Penn State. “I’ve been itching and clawing to get back out there. It felt great to be out there today.” . . . Wide receiver Darius Slayton, in his sixth season, offered this appraisal of the Giants’ offense: “We have a lot of guys who can run and a lot of guys who can go get the ball. And at the end of the day, it’s something for the defenses to have to worry about. So I think it’s something that we have to take advantage of.” . . . The Giants released Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke. He joined the team after being claimed off waivers on May 7, one day after he was released by the Patriots.
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.
