Cover 3: Final thoughts before 2024 season begins

Matt Citak: Once the Giants’ 2024 coaching staff was finalized and Shane Bowen was named defensive coordinator, it became clear that adding another edge rusher to complement Kayvon Thibodeaux was one of the team’s top priorities. General manager Joe Schoen addressed this area of need in a major way, swinging a blockbuster trade for outside linebacker Brian Burns and signing the 26-year-old to a long-term extension.

I’ve spoken at length over the last few months about the importance of the front four in Bowen’s system. The success of the defense as a whole will rely heavily on the success of Burns, Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence up front. The three young players combine to form one of the league’s most tantalizing pass rushing defensive lines, as the trio combined for a total of 148 quarterback pressures last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Burns is a two-time Pro Bowler that has registered a pass rush win rate of 20.4 percent over the past four seasons, which ranks 14^th among all players during that span. Lawrence has been a Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro selection in each of the last two years, as he has developed into the league’s most talented nose tackle. Then there’s Thibodeaux, who made a big jump last year in his second season, finishing with 11.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss to go with three forced fumbles. All three players have flashed throughout the summer as they have consistently gotten into the backfield to wreak havoc on the quarterback. And let’s not forget about Azeez Ojulari and his 16 sacks in 35 career games now playing in a reserve role on the defense.

When Bowen served as the coordinator in Tennessee, his defenses thrived at keeping opponents out of the end zone. The Titans finished with the No. 1 red zone defense in the NFL last season, allowing a touchdown on just 37.7 percent of opponents’ trips inside the 20-yard line. This was no fluke, either, as the unit also finished with the No. 7 red zone defense in 2021 and No. 15 in 2022. We caught a glimpse of this red zone defense in the one preseason game that the starters saw extensive action. The Texans had a goal-to-go situation in the first half, and the Giants shut them down on four straight plays to force a turnover on downs. On the fourth-and-goal play, Burns used an impressive spin move to get around the offensive tackle and into the face of C.J. Stroud. The young quarterback was forced to get rid of the ball quickly, which Lawrence batted down at the line of scrimmage.

Given the relative youth of the team’s secondary, the Giants are going to need their talented defensive front to bring their “A” game this season. If Burns, Lawrence and Thibodeaux can hit home and consistently get after the quarterback, it should alleviate some of the pressure on the defensive backs, putting them in much better positions to make plays. To put it simply, I believe the Giants’ pass rush holds the key to the defense’s overall success in 2024.