How Brian Burns' Absence Will Affect The Giants Defense

Having already lost starting QB Jaxson Dart to what we would later learn was a regular season-ending knee injury, things went from bad to worse for the Giants on Monday night.

Three of their other major stars -- OT Andrew Thomas, WR Malik Nabers and EDGE Brian Burns -- all suffered injuries, threatening to total derail what had been looking like a promising season.

Fortunately, it looks like Nabers and Thomas avoided any serious issues, but Burns has an ankle injury which is reportedly expected to sideline him for at least a few weeks. Of the three, Burns is arguably the one the Giants could least afford to lose though, because now they are compromised on both sides of the ball.

The pass rush was one of the Giants defense's biggest strengths in recent seasons, but the group will obviously be downgraded with Burns unavailable. In 2025, he led the team with 16.5 sacks, and no other player had more than four.

So, how will the Giants look to compensate for the loss of Burns?

Primarily, this injury will put additional pressure on Abdul Carter to step up. Last year’s third overall pick finished his rookie season with just four sacks, but 3.5 of those came in the final five games, so he did end the year with momentum. His pressure rates were excellent all year too. 

On Monday, he showed a positive sign midway through the third quarter when he split a double-team to record his first sack of this season. The Giants will need more of the same, even if Burns’ absence means whoever Carter matches up with is more likely to have help.

In terms of the depth chart, Chauncey Golston and Kayvon Thibodeaux are listed as the second stringers, and they have been averaging around 30 snaps per game each in reserve roles -- one of those guys is going to move into the starting lineup, with Thibodeaux considered the more likely.

After being selected fifth overall in 2022, Thibodeaux looked set for stardom after racking up 11.5 sacks in 2023, but he only had 5.5 sacks in 2024 and that dropped to 2.5 last year as the rookie Carter ate into his playing time. 

New York was rumored to be close to trading Thibodeaux last season and he seemed destined to be nothing more than a role player in 2026, even though he’s being paid almost $15 million in guaranteed salary.

Could this be the second chance Thibodeaux needs to reestablish himself as a future contributor? 

His fellow former first round pick, Deonte Banks, has already exploited some injuries to earn himself a bigger role. It would be fascinating if Thibodeaux, who seemed similarly on the brink of being phased out of this defense, could also use this chance to prove his worth.

Another route the Giants may be considering with Burns out could be rethinking how they’ve used Arvell Reese.

The rookie linebacker has had some struggles in coverage, so perhaps they should send him on a blitz more often in passing situations. They could even go a step further and give him some reps as an edge rusher, which is a position he saw time in at Ohio State, and where many analysts still believe his NFL future could lie.

If New York were to try Reese in that role -- perhaps with Micah McFadden rotating in at linebacker -- and he acquits himself well, it could changeup the Giants' approach not just for this year, but also in the seasons ahead.

Through two games, the Giants’ pass rush hadn’t been producing much anyway, even with Burns. Other than the aforementioned sack by Carter, they have no other sacks as a defense. In addition, they have just four other quarterback hits, only one of which was credited to Burns. 

In that context, you might consider that perhaps Burns wouldn’t be major loss, but this would be an over-simplification because if the rush becomes even less effective, that will force an already overmatched secondary to cover their matchups for even longer.

In any case, it’s not just Burns’ pass rush role that will be missed. He’s a key defensive leader and also an excellent run stopper. It will be difficult for the Giants to fill the void in these areas, but with the Titans, Cardinals and Commanders on the schedule over the next three weeks, it’s not like they are facing a run of offensive powerhouses.

Dart isn’t coming back, and it may be difficult for Giants fans to talk themselves into this team still being competitive with Jameis Winston at the helm, especially since he struggled so badly on Monday night. However, Burns looks set to return in October and the Giants defense could still prove to be a unit good enough to keep them in games.

They will need other players to step up, but the Giants just need to tide themselves over for the next few weeks so they don’t drop out of the race before Burns is back. If New York can steady the ship and remain in the mix at the bye week, then the fanbase can regain some optimism that Harbaugh has things trending in the right direction.