Kayvon Thibodeaux Inspired by Lawrence Taylor and Other Great Giants Pass Rushers

Kayvon Thibodeaux had a humbling moment as he celebrated the New York Giants’ 100th season.

Speaking with Lawrence Taylor backstage at Thursday’s “Giants 100: A Night with Legends” event in Midtown, Thibodeaux, 23, was quick to recall the high standards set by the Giants pass rushers who came before him.

“He asked me, ‘Man, how many sacks did you have last year?’ And I said, ‘11.5. Pretty good,’” Thibodeaux recalled onstage at the Madison Square Garden Theater. “He asked me, ‘What did you do, three games?’ When you have shoes like that to fill, you have no choice but to be great.”

Now entering his third NFL season, Thibodeaux remains a building block as the Giants attempt to build another fierce front as the foundation of their defense.

The Giants are hoping Thibodeaux, who they drafted No. 5 overall in 2022, and newly acquired Brian Burns can generate elite pressure on the edges while All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence anchors the interior.

It’s an approach that has paid off for the Giants in the past.

A linebacking group led by Taylor, Harry Carson and Carl Banks helped the Giants win their first Super Bowl championship after the 1986 season. Taylor and Banks won another Super Bowl title four years later.

Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora then played key roles in the Giants’ victory over Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Tuck, Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul were also key in the Giants’ next Super Bowl victory against Brady’s Patriots four years later.

“I have the best players to lean on,” Thibodeaux said. “Now I just keep setting goals and achieving them.”

Thibodeaux’s 11.5 sacks last season were a significant increase from his four as a rookie, though he didn’t record a sack in his final four games in 2023.

The blockbuster addition of Burns, a two-time Pro Bowler who just turned 26, should help take the pressure off Thibodeaux, with opposing offensive lines now having to account for both.

The Giants traded a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers to acquire Burns, then gave him a five-year, $141 million contract. Burns has at least 7.5 sacks in each of his five NFL seasons, including a career-best 12.5 in 2022.

“It’s not a high-contact camp, but he’s been a tough guy to block in the spring, no matter what team he’s lined up on,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said of Burns during Thursday’s event.

“I would say he’s an outstanding teammate. I know Dex is happy to be here. (Bobby) Okereke, Thibs, a group of guys. He fits right in with the group, our culture and what we’re trying to build.”

Thibodeaux and Burns fit perfectly into new defensive coordinator Shane Bowne’s 3-4 base defense as edge rushers who line up outside the three-man linemen.

A clip from the offseason edition of “Hard Knocks” featuring the Giants, which aired during Thursday’s event, showed Bowen analyzing the importance of pass rushers in his system.

“I want guys that attack,” Bowen said in the clip. “We’re going to structure ourselves around having four elite pass rushers up front. Four guys that we can line up, that can put their damn hand on the ground and go win.”

This conversation took place shortly before the Giants acquired Burns.

“I don’t put pressure on anybody,” Thibodeaux said Thursday. “I talk a lot of bullshit, I’ll be honest with you. Brian Burns is nice. He’s honest. You talk about his leadership, his mentorship, his accomplishments and our ability to challenge each other, to compete.”

Thibodeaux continued: “Right now, my girlfriend is mad because I can’t stop talking about greatness. But I’m telling you, we’re going to get there.”

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