Giants Outside Linebackers Were Among Team’s 2025 Strengths

For years, we person been calling for the New York Giants to adhd to their pass-rush arsenal, preferably pinch homegrown talent to replenish nan past of their effective homegrown talent (Jason Pierre-Paul).

The Giants person done conscionable that. In 2022, they added extracurricular linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux successful nan first round. In 2024, they acquired Brian Burns, different first-round pick, from nan Carolina Panthers successful a trade. And successful 2025, they picked Abdul Carter astatine No. 3 overall.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Formula 1.

But seriously. The extracurricular linebackers were a awesome spot for nan squad this year. Carter and Burns vanished 5th and 11th in ESPN’s pass-rush triumph rate for separator rushers. 

Burns had a profession year, signaling 16.5 sacks, which successful astir seasons mightiness person been capable to lead nan convention were it not for convention sack leader Myles Garrett’s 5-sack and four-sack performances successful Weeks 8 and 11, respectively.  

Carter didn’t person nan sack numbers, but he vanished pinch 72 backmost pressures, seventh wide successful nan convention per NextGen Stats, a fig that was first among rookie defenders.  

He besides vanished first successful nan convention successful backmost speedy pressures nether 3 seconds pinch 48, and registered an mean 2.22-second clip to unit and 3.89-second time-to-sack, some of which were nan fastest of nan Giants’ defenders.

Thibodeaux, unfortunately, mislaid 7 games owed to a enarthrosis wounded that, successful retrospect, ended his play successful Week 10, truthful his numbers are going to beryllium a spot skewed by comparison to his peers. 

But erstwhile it came to nan tally defense, he was by acold and distant nan champion of nan Giants' bunch astatine extracurricular linebacker. 

He registered a 12.4% run-defense tackle rate per PFF data and notched an 80.7 FF grade, seventh champion among separator rushers who played a minimum of 20% of their defense’s run-game snaps. 

Let’s get into nan individual performance.

Brian Burns

Playing his champion play arsenic a pro, Burns had a career-high successful sacks (16.5) and wide accumulation crossed nan board.  The level of effort and hustle successful Burns’ crippled should person been inspirational.

The hustle earned him immoderate sacks that he had nary business owning.  He accrued nan sacks successful each measurement imaginable -- disconnected of stunts, contain, pursuit, via separator velocity rushes, and moreover nan occasional bull rush.  

Burns was besides a awesome facet against nan tally and was coagulated successful drop-back coverage.  Basically, he did it each without missing a azygous crippled and shrugging disconnected nan galore bumps and bruises that those who play difficult typically accrue.  

Besides nan sacks, location were an further 31 QB Hits, doubly arsenic galore pressures, 3 forced fumbles, 22 tackles for loss, and 67 full tackles.  

We can’t opportunity capable astir nan measurement that Burns plays this game.  He’s precocious velocity and precocious effort, each nan time.  At conscionable 27 years old, he remains this beforehand office’s champion offseason move.

Abdul Carter

Apologies to Brian Burns, but Carter was nan defense’s champion subordinate successful nan past six games.  Give Burns in installments for excelling nan full year, arsenic it took Carter complete half his rookie play to fig things out.  

Early on, nan rookie was excessively easy disappointment by each nan attraction he was receiving and by his sporadic success.  

After nan caput coach and protect coordinator were fired, Carter was disciplined doubly for missing meetings, which seemed to settee him down.  

The coaches recovered immoderate ways to usage him, but by moving him astir more, he abruptly collapsed nan backfield from each angles.  

He seemed particularly effective opinionated complete center.  Opposing centers simply couldn’t artifact him aliases woody pinch his quickness.  

Then Carter started utilizing a devastating rotation move.  He was speed-rushing astir corners, pressuring nan quarterback, and making tackles successful nan backfield pinch penetration.  

He besides figured retired really to incorporate his separator against nan run.  By season’s end, he was doing everything astatine precocious intensity, and nan results were obvious.  

Though his stat expanse numbers paled by comparison to Burns’s – Carter vanished pinch conscionable 4.0 sacks and 43 tackles – nan number of disruptive plays was successful double figures, specifically successful those half twelve late-season games.  

Carter will request to adhd immoderate musculus to amended decorativeness plays and adhd much assortment to his crippled – correct now, he’s each astir attacking by speed, which is breathtaking enough.  

Imagine a much beingness Carter!  The talent is dripping disconnected him.  This rookie people has a chance to beryllium an all-timer, pinch Carter correct astatine nan top.

Kayvon Thibodeaux

Thibodeaux’s injury-plagued 2025 play – he missed 7 games pinch a enarthrosis wounded -- followed up a 2024 play wherever he missed 5 games (wrist).  He’s entering his last statement twelvemonth arsenic a questionable commodity. 

The squad mightiness not beryllium capable to waste and acquisition him owed to wellness concerns. And we don’t deliberation they will want to salary him nan large money that he will astir apt beryllium seeking aft his action twelvemonth (which has him 25th among nan league’s separator rushers) expires. 

So what will they do? We deliberation they’ll conscionable fto him play retired nan string, hoping that nan adjacent protect coordinator has an thought of really to get nan astir retired of him, Carter, and Burns arsenic a trio deployed astatine nan aforesaid time. 

Thibodeaux had added connected to his precocious assemblage successful nan off-season to play a much beingness game, but his enarthrosis didn’t clasp up to nan pounding.  

We’re not judge what type of Thibodeaux is going to show up adjacent summer, but he’ll beryllium playing for his adjacent contract, truthful we do expect a leaner, faster, possibly little beingness version.  

In nan 10 games that he did suit up successful this year, he accrued only 2.5 sacks and 25 tackles.  We thought he was amended successful his separator tally incorporate acknowledgment to nan accrued physicality, but nan walk unreserved did not improve.  He’s only 25 years old, truthful thing tin happen, but Thibodeaux remains 1 of nan team’s awesome 2026 mobility marks, whose crippled tin spell either way.

Chauncey Golston

After Thibodeaux went down and Golston recovered from his ain early-season injuries (ankle and neck), he vanished nan play alternatively powerfully arsenic a run-defending extracurricular linebacker, showing good instincts for contain.  

Golston didn’t nutrient overmuch of an extracurricular walk unreserved – his lone sack was a incorporate sack – but he besides seldom sewage to statement up wrong connected passing downs, which is nan spot of his walk unreserved game.  

Golston has 2 much years near connected his Giants statement and needs his domiciled tailored to what he does best.  

He’s not a turn-the-corner extracurricular linebacker; he’s a “contain” extracurricular linebacker pinch an wrong pass-rush crippled that was seldom utilized.  We deliberation he should person a bigger role. 

Victor Dimukeje

Signed to a seasoned minimum woody arsenic a powerfulness incorporate separator OLB, injuries constricted this 26-year-old erstwhile sixth-round prime to conscionable 5 games and 3 tackles.  We would beryllium amazed if nan Giants renew his contract.   

Tomon Fox

Fox completed his 4th play pinch nan Giants, bouncing backmost and distant from nan believe squad to nan roster. 

He played successful 9 games and recorded six tackles.  He does 1 point well: providing powerfulness separator containment.  We wouldn’t beryllium amazed to spot Fox successful training campy this summer.

Trace Ford

We see Ford successful this study because of really overmuch we liked his fierce separator play this past pre-season.  

Ford spent nan twelvemonth connected nan believe squad and was re-signed astatine nan extremity of nan season, truthful expect him to proceed to effort to impressment nan coaching unit adjacent summer.

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