Brian Burns: I'm kinda looking at this as my defense

Giants edge rusher Brian Burns said in mid-April that he did not want to play " this season or any other season" without Dexter Lawrence, but that didn't stop the team from trading Lawrence to the Bengals a short time later. Burns's stance isn't actually keeping him from taking part in the team's preparations for the 2026 season, of course. He said on Tuesday that he was "just really going to bat for my teammate" and knows he will have to live with the new reality.

That new reality leaves Burns as the veteran leader of the defense and he said that he's viewing that as a chance to make this his defense over the coming months. “That’s how I’m kinda looking at it,’’ Burns said, via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post . “It’s kind of a nod to what I’ve done and the success that I’ve had, but I don’t take that lightly at all, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity.

’’ That defensive shift is taking place alongside a larger shift for the organization in the wake of John Harbaugh's arrival as head coach and the hope is that both contribute to the first winning season in a while for the NFC East club.