Why Xavier] McKinney disagreed with officials over his contract deal with Giants
In exchange for Brian Burns, the Giants and the Panthers agreed to swap fifth-round picks this year (the Giants receiving No. 166 and sending No. 141 to Carolina) as well as a 2024 second-round draft choice (No. 39).
One of the best pass rushers in the NFL is Burns. His first five seasons of career were spent with the Carolina Panthers, where he recorded 46.0 sacks and was twice chosen for the Pro Bowl (2021–2022). He joins a Giants squad that tied for the fourth-lowest total in the league at the end of the 2023 campaign with 34 sacks. With just 27, the Panthers, who went 2–15, recorded the fewest sacks in the NFL. There were 8.0 on Burns.
Burns recorded a career-high 12.5 sacks in 2022. Since his first season in 2019, he has never concluded a season with a score lower than 7.5.
In addition to being tied for the 12th-highest total in the NFL since his arrival, his 46.0 sacks rank eighth in Panthers history. Among players in the 2019 draft class, he is ranked third, after Maxx Crosby (52.0) of Las Vegas and Nick Bosa (53.5) of San Francisco. Burns is a seven-time multi-sack gamer.
On April 23, Burns, a 6 foot 5 inch, 250 pound man, turns 26. He was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2019 Draft, one pick ahead of defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, who was selected by the Giants. Three of the top 17 players in that draft, including quarterback Daniel Jones, who was selected sixth overall, will now don
Blue Giants. OL Runyan Jr. Jon.
The Green Bay Packers selected Runyan with the 192nd overall pick, sixth round, in 2020. In his four years in the NFL, he has not missed a single game. Runyan has started 50 of 51 games in the last three seasons after participating in all 16 games as a reserve in his rookie year. According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-4, 307-pound lineman started all 17 games at right guard in 2023 and gave up only 22 total pressures and two sacks. Among all guards, his 92.4 pass rush win rate placed him sixth, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
Runyan started all 17 games for the Packers in 2022, with 11 at right guard and six at left guard. He started all 17 games at left guard for Green Bay in 2021. He has played 1,897 total pass blocking snaps in his NFL career and has allowed only seven sacks.
His father, Jon Sr., played 14 years in the NFL, including nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, and often matched up against Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. The Pro Football Hall of Famer thanked Jon Sr. in his induction speech, calling him “the toughest guy I ever had to face on a consistent basis.”
DB Jalen Mills
Originally a seventh-round pick (No. 233) in 2016, Mills has played in 106 regular-season games and four postseason games across eight seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (2016-2020) and New England Patriots (2021-2023). His career totals include 406 total tackles (314 solo), nine tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, seven interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 53 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
The 6-foot, 200-pound safety played a key role in the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl run, starting 15 games and finishing with a career-high three interceptions and 14 passes defensed. He also started all three postseason games for Philadelphia where he registered an additional five pass breakups.
Prior to being drafted, Mills played four seasons at LSU where he recorded six interceptions, 11 passes defensed, 216 total tackles (134 solo) and eight tackles for loss in 45 games. He earned Freshman first-team All-America honors in 2012 after starting all 13 games at cornerback and registering 57 tackles, two interceptions and five passes defensed.
Despite only playing seven games as a senior in 2015, Mills was still named first-team All-American by CBS Sports after finishing with 30 tackles, one sack and three passes defensed.
OL Jermaine Eluemunor
Eluemunor, 6-4 and 330 pounds, will reunite with new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo. They go back to their days together in New England, where both arrived in 2019. Bricillo began his NFL career as a coaching assistant before taking over as the Patriots’ line coach in 2020. Eluemunor then moved on to the Raiders in 2021, and Bricillo joined the following season.
In his first season with the Raiders in 2022, Bricillo led an offensive line unit that only allowed 35 sacks, tied for the ninth fewest in the NFL. Bricillo’s unit also helped the Raiders’ offense rush for 2,059 yards, the most in a single season since 2011. Raiders rushers were stopped for a loss or no gain an NFL-low 68 times in 2022, and Josh Jacobs led the league with 1,653 yards.
Overall, Eluemunor has played in 87 games for the Ravens (2017-18), Patriots (2019-20), and Raiders (2021-23). He has made 45 regular-season starts – 32 at right tackle, seven at left tackle, and six at right guard. He has also appeared in two postseason games.
A fifth-round draft choice by Baltimore in 2017, Eluemunor was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team in his first year out of Texas A&M. Originally from England, Eluemunor moved to the United States and started playing football at Morris Knolls High School in Denville, N.J. He was also a standout wrestler, compiling a 30-7 record and reaching the state finals.
RB Devin Singletary
Singletary was a third-round pick (No. 74 overall) by the Buffalo Bills in 2019. After spending his first four seasons with the Bills, Singletary spent the 2023 campaign with the Houston Texans.
The 5-foot-7, 203-pound running back appeared in all 17 games with 10 starts for the Texans last season. He finished with a career-high 898 rushing yards on 216 rushing attempts (4.2 yards per carry) with four touchdowns and added 30 receptions for an additional 193 yards. According to Pro Football Focus, Singletary registered 36 missed tackles forced and had 26 runs of 10+ yards.
QB Drew Lock
A second-round pick (No. 42 overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft by Denver, Lock has started 23 of 28 games played for the Broncos (2019-2021) and Seahawks (2022-2023). Lock has completed 59.7 of his passes with 28 touchdowns to 23 interceptions in his career. He also has five rushing touchdowns.
Lock was part of the trade package that sent Russell Wilson to Denver in the 2022 offseason, but he did not play in his first season with the Seahawks. Lock started two games for them in 2023, including a Week 15 victory over the Eagles. Lock threw a 29-yard touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 28 seconds remaining to win the game.
Lock, who became the first NFL rookie in the Super Bowl era to pass for 300 yards and three touchdowns in his first career road start, entered the NFL after a storied career at Missouri. His 12,193 career passing yards were second in SEC history while his 99 touchdown passes were the third-most.
WR Isaiah McKenzie
The 5-foot-8, 173-pounder has experience with coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, having played in Buffalo for parts of five seasons. A fifth-round draft choice by Denver in 2017, McKenzie has played in 93 games with 28 starts for the Broncos (2017-2018), Bills (2018-2022), and Colts (2023). His career numbers include 152 receptions for 1,427 yards (9.4 yards per catch) and 11 touchdowns in addition to 50 rushing attempts for 244 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and four scores. He also attempted one pass, which went for a 12-yard touchdown in 2020.
The Georgia product also brings experience as a return specialist. He has returned 81 punts for 722 yards (8.9 yards per return), including an 84-yard touchdown. He has also brought back 56 kickoffs for 1,264 yards (22.6 yards per return), with a long of 75 yards.
TE Jack Stoll
Undrafted out of Nebraska in 2021, the 6-foot-4, 247-pound Stoll spent his first three seasons with the Eagles. He has missed just one game in his career, starting 26 times in 50 career appearances and catching 20 passes for 183 yards (9.2 yards per catch). Stoll has also played in five postseason games, including Super Bowl LVII.
Stoll was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in his senior season and finished his college career as a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
TE Chris Manhertz
Manhertz, 6-6 and 235 pounds, has played in 120 games (53 starts) throughout his career for the Saints (2016), Panthers (2016-2020), Jaguars (2021-2022), and Broncos (2023). Last season, he played 367 snaps on offense and 86 on special teams in Denver while playing in 16 games with four starts. His career numbers include 26 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
A Bronx native, Manhertz played at Cardinal Spellman High School before playing collegiately at Canisius.
OL Aaron Stinnie
Undrafted out of James Madison University in 2018, Stinnie has played in 31 games with 12 starts with the Tennessee Titans (2018-19) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019-2023). He was a member of Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl Championship team and started the final three postseason games, including Super Bowl LV.
The 6-foot-3, 312-pound lineman played in a career-high 13 games with 11 starts for the Buccaneers in 2023 and allowed just two sacks on 442 pass block snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Stinnie played in 54 games with 42 consecutive starts at James Madison from 2013-17. He started all 15 games at left tackle as a redshirt senior in 2017 and earned AP first-team FCS All-American honors along with a first-team All-CAA selection. He was also named first-team All-CAA as a redshirt junior (2016).
Stinnie began his collegiate career as a defensive lineman, playing in 12 games on defense as a redshirt freshman before transitioning to the offensive line the following year.
OL Austin Schlottmann
Undrafted out of TCU in 2018, Schlottmann has played in 67 games with 14 starts with the Denver Broncos (2019-21) and Minnesota Vikings (2022-2023).
The 6-foot-6, 300-pound lineman has seen time at center, right guard and left guard during his NFL career. He has never allowed more than one sack in a season, according to Pro Football Focus. He played in nine games with three starts for the Vikings in 2023.
Schlottmann started 29 games across three seasons at TCU and was named second-team All-Big-12 as a junior in 2016.
OT Matt Nelson
Nelson, a 6-foot-7, 315-pound Iowa product, spent his first four seasons with the Lions, making 14 starts in 43 appearances as a converted defensive lineman. After he spent 2019 on the practice squad as an undrafted rookie, Nelson saw action in all 16 games in 2020 and made a career-high 11 starts the following season.
Nelson started Weeks 2 and 3 at right tackle for Detroit last season before being placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Overall, 12 of Nelson’s 14 career starts have been at right tackle. The other two were as an extra offensive lineman.
Nelson spent his collegiate career as a defensive end, appearing in 52 career games (33 starts) for the Hawkeyes. In his final season, he was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten and the Iowa Comeback Player of the Year. Nelson also won the Team Hustle Award on defense and was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
LB Benton Whitley
The New York Giants signed linebacker Benton Whitley, who was scheduled to become an exclusive rights free agent.
Whitley, 6-4 and 260 pounds, was signed off the Vikings’ practice squad in November and suited up in three games for the Giants last season. He played 13 snaps on defense and 26 on special teams, where he recovered a fumble on a punt return to start the second half of a Week 14 victory over Green Bay.
Undrafted out of Holy Cross in 2022, Whitley has also spent time with the Rams and Chiefs. He was an All-New England selection for the Crusaders in 2021 and a three-time All-Patriot League honoree. Whitley won the Monsignor George S. L. Connor Award, presented annually to the person the Holy Cross players are most proud of as a teammate.
WR/PR Gunner Olszewski
Olszewski was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in the second-to-last game for the Giants last season after his 94-yard punt return touchdown. It was the second longest punt return in Giants history and the longest in 95 years.
Since he entered the NFL in 2019, Olszewski ranks second in punt return yards (1,170) and punt return average (11.9 yards).
LB Carter Coughlin
Coughlin was a seventh-round pick (No. 218 overall) of the Giants in 2020 and has played in 55 games with two starts across the last four seasons. He has primarily played on special teams.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker has career totals of 41 tackles (31 solo), one sack, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
CB Darnay Holmes
Holmes, a fourth-round draft choice by the Giants in 2020, became an unrestricted free agent when the new league year began on March 13.
Holmes recorded a career-high two interceptions in 2023, despite not making a start for the first time in his four seasons. He did, however, play in a career-high 16 games. Overall, Holmes has made 11 starts in 54 games played for the Giants. His career numbers include four interceptions, 18 passes defensed, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He has also forced a fumble on special teams, where he lined up for 194 plays last season.
In addition, Holmes has appeared in two postseason games and recorded two tackles for loss in the Giants’ Wild Card victory over the Vikings in 2022.
A native of Pasadena, Calif., Holmes played in 35 games with 33 starts in three seasons at UCLA. His career totals included 121 tackles (89 solo), eight interceptions, 28 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He averaged 23.1 yards on 38 kickoff returns, including a 93-yard touchdown.
WR Isaiah Hodgins
Hodgins, who played in all 17 games for the Giants with nine starts last season, was a restricted free agent.
A sixth-round pick by the Bills in 2020, Hodgins was acquired off waivers by the Giants midway through the 2022 season. He went on to catch 33 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns in just eight games as he helped the Giants clinch a spot in the postseason, where he hauled in another eight passes for 105 yards and a score in the team’s Wild Card win over the Vikings.
Overall, the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder has 58 career receptions for 622 yards and seven touchdowns.
Prior to the NFL, Hodgins was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and Biletnikoff Award semifinalist in 2019 at Oregon State. His 20 touchdowns were tied for second-most in program history.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
- RB Saquon Barkley (Update: Barkley signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles)
- OL Ben Bredeson (Update: Bredeson signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- RB Matt Breida
- LB Cam Brown
- K Randy Bullock
- WR Parris Campbell (Update: Campbell has agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles)
- LB Jarrad Davis
- C Sean Harlow
- C J.C. Hassenauer
- CB Adoree’ Jackson
- G Shane Lemieux
- S Xavier McKinney (Update: McKinney signed a contract with the Green Bay Packers)
- OT Matt Peart (Update: Peart signed a contract with the Denver Broncos)
- OT Tyre Phillips
- OL Justin Pugh
- DL A’Shawn Robinson (Update: Robinson signed a contract with the Carolina Panthers)
- WR Sterling Shepard
- LB Isaiah Simmons
- QB Tyrod Taylor (Update: Taylor signed a contract with the New York Jets)
- OLB Jihad Ward (Update: Ward has signed a contract with the Minnesota Vikings)
