One of the best moments from HBO’s Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants was when GM Joe Schoen learned from Carolina Panthers GM Dan Morgan that Brian Burns was available for trade.
The Giants had a clear priority of adding another difference-maker to their defensive front, and the 26-year-old edge rusher perfectly fit the description. Schoen lit up like a light bulb.
In executing the trade, the Giants added a player who missed just three games over five years in Carolina, averaged more than nine sacks per season and ranked top 10 in pass rush win rate in 2023. By putting him opposite of budding star Kayvon Thibodeaux, with All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence applying pressure up the middle, the Giants have a chance to unlock another level of production from Burns.
That’s why I like for him to go over 8.5 sacks as one of my favorite sack props of the 2024 season. Burns went over this number in three straight years before finishing with eight last season. With a new deal and change of scenery, a rejuvenated Burns could be a scary sight for quarterbacks.
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The reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year came into the league with a bang last season, posting seven sacks behind the NFL’s third-best pass rush win rate. But before defenses could adjust too much, the Texans made moves this offseason, adding Danielle Hunter fresh off a 16.5-sack season. They’ll be getting to the quarterback a lot more in 2024.
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After eclipsing this number for the only time in his career in 2022, Sweat took a career-high number of snaps last season. But despite being on the field for 71% of the time, his sack total fell to 6.5. He’s certainly good enough to pick it back up in 2024, but Philly’s loss of Haason Reddick could lead teams to shift more protection to Sweat.
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After recording a career-high 14.5 sacks in 2022, Highsmith’s total plummeted to half that last season at seven sacks. But he was still among the league-leaders in pass rush win rate, which is why I expect him to rebound. Especially with T.J. Watt attracting so much attention playing at a DPOY level.
Buckner has been one of the very best interior linemen for a long time, so his inclusion on this list shouldn’t be much of a surprise. He’s eclipsed 7.5 sacks in four of the last six seasons, including the last two. With a solid supporting cast around him, including rookie Laiatu Latu, the 30-year-old seems likely to do more of the same in 2024.
