Want to know what kind of player the Giants acquired when they made the big-ticket trade to acquire Brian Burns in free agency?
Those familiar with Kayvon Thibodeau will immediately understand what Barnes brings to the defense in general and the pass rush in particular.
Both are 6 feet 5 inches tall. Thibodeau is 258 pounds. Burns is 250.
Both line up as defensive ends or outside linebackers depending on the front.
Both are better athletically than physically.
The Giants hope this new duo will lead the way along the defensive line for years to come, with Dexter Lawrence up the middle.
Barnes came to the Giants in a sign-and-trade with the Panthers on Monday.
The Giants sent a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick to acquire Barnes in exchange with the Panthers, who acquired him on a five-year deal worth $141 million. did.
Former NFL offensive lineman Brian Baldinger said, “He has some power like Kayvon. It’s not great power, but he can shock and shake opponents and he can’t keep them off balance.” “I can do it, but not so much that I can break through the opponent.” He currently serves as an NFL Network analyst, he told The Post on Tuesday. “He doesn’t have that kind of power, and neither does Kayvon. They have very good quickness and very good abruptness, are good athletes, and are very similar in terms of staying on their feet. I think that there.
“He’s not [Hall of Famer Michael] Strahan, I’m going to overwhelm you, go through you or around you. He’d rather run all over you, but you’d be better off doing that anyway because he’d honestly say they’re more likely to win. If they play against average athletes, they will have more success. ”
Without a doubt, Baldinger views Barnes as an important addition for the Giants.
Luxury money, well, that’s how free agency works. Should Barnes be the NFL’s second-highest-paid defensive end behind Myles Garrett and the 49ers’ Nick Bosa?
“He’s a good player, a really good player at times,” Baldinger said. “Like a lot of smaller players at that position, he gets swallowed up sometimes. That’s a lot of money to spend on one player. You better hope the offense can score this year. .”
Barnes, who turns 26 next month, had 46 sacks in five seasons (80 games) with the Panthers.
He has only reached double-digit sacks in a season once, when he had a career-high 12.5 sacks in 2021, his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance.
Thibodeau has 15.5 sacks in 31 games with the Giants, including a team-high 11.5 sacks last season.
Here’s another thing Barnes and Thibodeau have in common. Neither player has much of an idea of what it’s like to lead a team playing NFL game after game.
“When you’re playing with a lead, it’s a lot easier to go get 12 or 15 sacks,” Baldinger said. “Those are real. Brian Burns, people are saying, ‘We paid $150 million for a guy who took eight sacks.’ Well, I’m watching the Detroit game last year and they were up 35-7 in the third quarter. There won’t be many opportunities to rush the quarterback. ”
In reality, it was 28-10 in the third quarter when the Panthers ended up losing 42-24 to the Lions, but Baldinger’s points make up for some of the scoring difference.
Barnes and Thibodeau rarely play from the front, know the passer has to throw, throw, throw for a comeback, and are rarely allowed to rush the passer with reckless abandon. did.
“They’re getting a talented player and he’s really healthy and a true linebacker and can drop into coverage and cover tight ends. But that doesn’t mean they want him too much. It’s not about that,” Baldinger said.
Adding Barnes was not a luxury for the Giants. After Thibodeau, they didn’t have a legitimate, reliable edge rusher on the roster.
2021 second-round pick Azeez Ojulari has 16 sacks in 35 games, but was limited to just 18 games the past two seasons due to injuries. Ojulari, who turns 24 in June, is in the final year of his contract.
“If you remove Azeez Ojulari in the second round, it doesn’t go away, it just floats away,” Baldinger said. “I think Kayvon needs a guy, like everybody does. That’s why San Francisco got Leonard Floyd. Every guy needs a guy on the other side of him. We need a guy to. We need three. It would be awesome to get four. A guy who wins one-on-one, flashes the quarterback, moves the quarterback out of the spot, and the other two go for the kill. is necessary.”
The Giants now believe they have another one.
