BREAKING: Giants Hint at Abdul Carter’s Secret Weapon Role—This Could Break the NFL

The New York Giants have finally stumbled upon a good problem to have.

After acquiring standout edge rusher Brian Burns before the 2024 season and pairing him with former first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, the Giants built a fearsome pass-rushing duo. They finished with one of the NFL’s top sack totals—only eight teams had more. But general manager Joe Schoen wasn’t done.

With the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Giants added even more heat by selecting elite edge rusher Abdul Carter, considered by many to be the best talent in the draft class. Combined with All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, New York now boasts one of the most stacked defensive fronts in football.

This pass rush is the heartbeat of the Giants’ defensive ambitions. And with three elite edge rushers competing for two main spots, it’s now up to defensive coordinator Shane Bowen to creatively deploy them.

During minicamp, the team teased some of those plans—especially regarding Carter.

“Our goal is to get the best 11 guys on the field, however we have to make that work,” Bowen said, via team transcript. “We’ve got to find ways to get our impact players out there.”

He noted Carter’s positional flexibility, referencing his earlier college experience playing off the ball, which could open up new deployment possibilities. Burns, too, could move around in this scheme.

Carter, who only recently transitioned into a full-time edge rusher, previously played off-ball linebacker at Penn State—a role that led to frequent comparisons with Cowboys superstar Micah Parsons. Like Parsons, Carter could also see time inside, lining up over the A-gap to exploit mismatches with interior linemen.

More often, though, expect the Giants to rotate Carter, Burns, and Thibodeaux onto the field at once—especially in passing situations. By sliding Carter (and possibly Burns or Thibodeaux) inside next to Lawrence, the team can create chaos for opposing offensive lines with stunts and overloads.

“Yeah, it’s exciting,” Burns said. “We’re all a little different, but that’s what makes it dangerous. We can rotate, swap roles, and it adds real variety to our third-down packages—or even our base looks.”

With an All-Pro anchor like Lawrence, a Pro Bowl-caliber pass rusher in Burns, and two athletic first-rounders, the Giants’ front is almost impossible to scheme against. Offenses can’t double-team everyone, and the defense doesn’t need to blitz to apply pressure.

Burns summed it up perfectly:

“It’s basically pick your poison. And then, of course, we’ve got Dex… so good luck.”