After playing for pathetic Panthers, did Brian Burns expect more from Giants, now 2-7?

When Brian Burns was traded to — and subsequently signed a huge extension with — the Giants in March, he surely thought his new team would put up more W’s than his old one.
The Carolina Panthers were coming off a 2-15 season and did not even own their first-round pick in 2024 (which wound up being quarterback Caleb Williams).
Fast forward eight months, and, well, things aren’t exactly looking up for Burns and Co.
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The Giants are 2-7, which is bad enough for the seventh overall pick and, of course, last in the NFC East. They have the 11th best defense in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus — with the sixth best pass rush grade (76.4), in large part thanks to Burns, who has 5.0 sacks and 32 pressures in nine games — but their offense is a stagnant mess.
To add insult to Burns: The Panthers, whom the Giants will face in Germany this Sunday, have an identical record. Asked if he thought things would be different with the Giants, Burns tried to keep a positive outlook.
“Going into a new situation, you always want to look on the positive side of things,” the outside linebacker said. “But football is football, and this is how it goes, sometimes it’s how the cards fold. But overall, it’s still a blessed opportunity and a blessed position I’m in.”
But, does he at least believe that the Giants’ brass is handling the rebuild better than the Panthers, who did not make the postseason (or win more than seven games) in his five seasons there?
“Everything is different,” Burns said. “It’s hard to compare the two, just because of the different variables in each situation.”
While it remains to be seen whether the Giants can (finally) figure out their offensive woes moving forward, one thing is certain: their pass rush, led by Burns and Dexter Lawrence, will be in good shape for the next five years to come at least.
Burns ranks fourth in solo tackles (25), 17th in sacks, 13th in quarterback hurries (22) and first in batted passes (4). Not a bad return on the two draft-pick, $141-million investment, so far.
So, will we see another level to Burns when he faces his old team on Sunday — in what is essentially a “Tank Bowl” between two terrible clubs? The 26-year-old swears he’s treating it like any other game.
“No, like I said, business is business,” Burns said. “Business happened. I’m happy where I am. I’m blessed.
“I’m not going to make it any bigger than what the line and everything’s going to be about it. It’s just another game to me. I’m going to prepare the same way and plan to get a win in Germany.”
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Ryan Novozinsky may be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on X @ryannovo62.