New York Giants’ Embarrassing Offensive Line Takes Center Stage Over Scary Trio of Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Abdul Carter

Mandatory minicamps are underway for the New York Giants, and while the buzz was supposed to be about their fearsome new-look defense led by No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter and a quarterback room consisting of Russell Wilson and Jaxon Dart, it’s their offensive line that’s gone viral… And for all the wrong reasons.

Recently, a clip surfaced online from the Giants’ OTAs showing a rep that should’ve been a highlight for the defense. In the visual, the team’s premier trio of edge rushers — Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and rookie Abdul Carter — completely collapsed the pocket within seconds, breezing through the offensive line to tag quarterback Russell Wilson.

Burns’ burst was particularly eye-popping, as the Florida State alum used a slick spin move to slice through the front line almost untouched. He made it look easy.

Here’s the video:

Ideally, this was the moment that was supposed to laud Joe Schoen & Co. for the defensive investment they made in recent years. And rightly so, because the New York Giants have gone all in on building a ferocious pass rush.

For instance, Thibodeaux already has a double-digit sack season under his belt. Meanwhile, Burns, who was acquired in a splash trade, brings Pro Bowl pedigree. And Abdul Carter, who tallied 12 sacks in his lone season as an edge rusher at Penn State, was drafted third overall to be the next great hybrid linebacker.

Yet somehow, the story turned into a referendum on the other side of the trenches. So naturally, fans wasted no time lighting up social media.

“That O line just Swiss cheese ngl, Russ gone be lookin like Kyler Murray in that pocket this year,” one user commented. “This looks more like the O-Line just being a**. Wilson is cooked this season,” penned another.

“I would certainly be concerned about that O-line,” this concerned fan wrote. “The Giants line is still hot garbage,” summarised a New York Giants supporter.

But it’s not just one bad rep in June. The Giants’ offensive line has been a disaster for years. In 2023, the unit allowed 85 sacks, the second-most in NFL history since the stat began being tracked.

Though things marginally improved in 2024, with the sack rate dropping, it wasn’t impactful enough to save face. The New York Giants still finished 26th in pass-block win rate and 27th in run-block win rate, despite signing veterans like Jon Runyan Jr., Jermaine Eluemunor, and Greg Van Roten.

Injuries made it even worse, forcing the team to shuffle through ten different O-line combinations, tied for the most in the league.

While General Manager Joe Schoen tried to stabilize the unit with veteran depth and a new coach in Carmen Bricillo last year, as the minicamp has shown so far, the same old cracks are showing — extremely concerning when the season is just months away.

But the New York Giants do have something cooking on defense. Abdul Carter is already drawing comparisons to Micah Parsons, and Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen is expected to get creative with how the team deploys all three edge rushers at once. There’s a lot of promise.

But if the offensive line continues to implode like this, none of it will matter. Because in the battle of trenches, it looks like only one side is armed for the New York Giants.