Brian Burns is already making the case for why the Giants’ Dennard Wilson hire could pay off fast.
After sounding uncertain earlier about a possible return to New York amid the possibility of a Dexter Lawrence trade, the All-Pro edge rusher now sounds fully bought in. Burns spoke on the “Giants Huddle” podcast and had nothing but praise for Wilson, the Giants’ first-year defensive coordinator who previously worked under John Harbaugh in Baltimore.
“I like how intentional he is,” Burns said. “He gets exactly what he wants, what he’s looking for, out of the call.
And [I] like that he takes all the gray area out so there’s no confusion. Everybody knows exactly what to do.
“That's something simple to say,” Burns continued, “but you know, it goes overlooked, that type of attention to detail."
That kind of clarity matters for a Giants defense that is asking a lot of its biggest names. Burns, who turned 28 in April, is coming off a huge season in which he earned second-team All-Pro honors by posting career highs with 16 ½ sacks and 22 tackles for loss. The Giants need that version of him again, and they need it now.
They also need him to be the steadying force on a defense with plenty of talent but plenty of questions, too. Outside of new linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, Burns is arguably the unit’s only proven, dependable defensive starter. Jevon Holland arrives as a veteran safety, but he’s coming off a down year even if his overall track record with the Dolphins suggests more is there.
The upside is obvious. Kayvon Thibodeaux has already shown what he can do, Abdul Carter flashed as a rookie, and the Giants are expected to keep Thibodeaux, at least for now, instead of moving him before Week 1. Wilson’s job is to turn that talent into consistency, while also helping Arvell Reese, the No. 5 pick and an All-American edge rusher at Ohio State, make the shift to inside linebacker.
Wilson’s background should help him settle in quickly. He spent the last two seasons as the Titans’ defensive coordinator, and his ties to Harbaugh run deep. The Giants now have nearly 20 staffers who either coached for Harbaugh before or came over from Baltimore directly, so the transition comes with a built-in familiarity.
That leaves Burns carrying more than just pass-rush expectations. He’s a defensive captain and one of the most accomplished players on the roster, no matter the position. Jaxson Dart may be the face of the offense as the starting quarterback, but the Giants are also counting on Burns to set the tone on defense.
And with the NFC East looking winnable and the roster getting aggressive upgrades, the timing lines up perfectly for Wilson to show why Harbaugh trusted him with the coordinator job in the first place.
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Sauls late-season run gave the Giants reason to believe they already had a steady answer in place, but Zvadas early showing made this a lot less settled than it looked a few weeks ago. The real separator may not come until training camp and preseason games, when the Giants finally get a longer look at which leg holds up best under pressure. [Read more 🡒]