Giants’ top 10 most important players: No. 3 — OLB Brian Burns

Posted by Admin June 28, 2026 NFL

Brian Burns is a terrific football player coming off his best NFL season, a 16.5-sack Pro Bowl year. His value to the Giants on the field is obvious to anyone watching the games.

Burns is more than just a player to the Giants, though. He is a respected veteran leader — maybe even a beloved one by his teammates.

Even with Dexter Lawrence on the roster, by the end of last season, Burns had become the voice of the defense, and probably its heart and soul. He had, truthfully, become the most important veteran voice on the roster. With Lawrence gone now, Burns is the unquestioned leader of the defense.

How his teammates feel about him showed in the tremendous player turnout this spring for the Brian Burns Charity Softball Game.

Burns is a go-to player when the media needs something. More importantly, he is a go-to player for his teammates in the locker room. He leads by example, with his refusal to come out of the lineup when dealing with an injury, and his effort to maximize every practice rep.

Outside linebacker coach Charlie Bullen is in his third season with Burns. Bullen knows it would be easy to take Burns for granted.
“I think it’s because he’s a great player,” Bullen said. “It could be an easy thing to do, but I think it’s a testament to him. You don’t take Burns for granted because you feel him and you feel his greatness every day.

“The guy has been a great player. He’s going on year eight, but he comes out every day, whether it’s meetings or practice, puts the work in, engages teammates, coaches, participates in meetings, asks questions, works his ass off on the field. It’s a testament to him. You feel him. He is a pro. He is a leader.

“Every day, you can appreciate how great he is because he operates like that. All great players don’t have that mode of operation, but he does, and we don’t take it for granted because it’s so obvious on a daily basis.”

Burns shares the edge position with Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux, likely making that the most talented position group on the Giants’ roster. It is Burns, though, who is probably the most indispensable.