Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants
Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants
All offseason long, the New York Giants had one major trade candidate that burned a hole through every fan’s mind.
Would they trade away former first-round draft pick Kayvon Thibodeaux?
It made sense. They had Brian Burns coming off an All-Pro year, 2025 No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter finished his up-and-down rookie year incredibly strong, and selected Ohio State’s hybrid edge/linebacker Arvell Reese with the No. 5 overall pick.
With Thibodeaux entering the final year of his rookie contract, it made a lot of sense that the Giants would look to recoup some value before letting him walk in free agency in the spring of 2027.
Well, the Giants stood pat on Thibodeaux, and that decision is starting to age incredibly well, particularly in the wake of Burns’ season-ending injury.
Giants Need Kayvon Thibodeaux Now More Than Ever
The New York Giants suffered two major blows in back-to-back weeks, losing quarterback Jaxson Dart in Week 2 and Burns in Week 3. ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed Burns’ season-ending ACL injury early Monday morning.
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“Giants standout pass rusher Brian Burns is believed to have torn his ACL during Sunday’s win over the Titans, sources tell @rapsheet and me. Burns entered Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, then hurt his knee.”
Burns is just as big of a loss to the defense as Dart is to the offense. The former Carolina Panthers draft pick is coming off the best season of his career, recording a career-high 16.5 sacks.
Regardless, the season carries on, and the Giants will now look to both Thibodeaux and Carter to fill the void left behind by their All-Pro pass rusher.
Imagine if the Big Blue had traded away Thibodeaux this past offseason? They’d be even more screwed than they are right now.
The former Oregon Ducks standout has gone from a situational pass rusher to a likely every-down pass player for the Giants, given the fact that they’re pretty thin at outside linebacker.
We may even end up seeing Reese getting some more reps as a pass rusher. In the wake of the Burns injury, expect the Giants to either make an elevation from the practice squad or make a veteran signing outright.
Kayvon Thibodeaux Needs to Step Up His Game
While the New York Giants are certainly glad they have extra depth at edge after Burns’ injury, it’s not like Thibodeaux has been a world beater through the team’s first three games.
According to Pro Football Focus, Thibodeaux has been the NFL’s 101st-best edge rusher out of 108 qualified players. His pass-rush grade of 48.7 ranked 104th among his peers, and his run-defense grade of 38.9 ranked 107th.
If he’s going to be an every-down player for the Giants, he’ll need to be much better than that.
Even Carter, who will have more eyeballs on him as New York’s lead pass rusher, has been just a bit underwhelming.
The former Penn State standout has been PFF’s 33rd-best pass rusher, which is fine, but he needs to start filling the vacant All-Pro shoes left behind by Burns.
We’ll see if the two former first-round picks can pull it off.