If Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux develop into one of the best pass-rushing duos in New York Football Giants history, then fans could forgive general manager Joe Schoen for losing running back Saquon Barkley and safety Xavier McKinney. Hindsight is, of course, 20/20.

The free agent signing period that began last week has been bittersweet for Giants fans. Mr. Barkley signed a three year, $37.75 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. Mr. Kinney decamped to the Green Bay Packers for $68 million over four years. Both were fan favorites in the primes of their careers, but not worth those sums to the Giants.

While the offensive line appears upgraded with the signings of Jon Runyan, Jr., Jermaine Eluemunor, Austin Schlottmann, and Aaron Stinnie, the biggest splash was the acquisition of edge rusher Brian Burns in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. The Giants, who were 6-11 last year, dealt a pair of draft picks in exchange for Mr. Burns, who then signed a massive 5-year deal worth $150 million with $87.5 million guaranteed.

Mr. Burns, who at age 25 has 46 sacks in 80 games over five seasons, gives the Giants a dominant pass rusher to pair opposite Kayvon Thibodeaux, who had a break-through season last year with 11.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits.

The Giants’ 34 sacks in 2023 tied for the fourth-lowest in the league. They hope Messrs. Burns and Thibodeaux can form their best passing-rushing duo since Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora nearly prowled the gridiron nearly two decades ago. The Giants also haven’t given up on Azeez Ojulari, a second-round pick in 2020 who has chipped in 16 sacks over the past three seasons.

With an average salary of $30 million per season, Mr. Burns is the second-highest-paid defensive player in league history behind the fearsome Nick Bosa, who averages $34 million annually on his five year $170 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers.

“I think we’re going to grow as a group,” Mr. Burns said on the Giants website. “We’re all young and talented. I think we’re going to feed off each other because we can relate to being young. I’m ready to get with those guys and get going.”

To replace Mr. Barkley, the Giants signed running back Devin Singletary from the Houston Texans. Mr. Singletary, drafted by Buffalo in 2019, has totaled 4,438 career yards on 981 carries. He rushed for 898 yards and four touchdowns for the Texans last season. “Whatever I need to do to help the team to win, that’s what I’m here for,” Mr. Singletary said..

Other free agent signings for Big Blue during the first week included quarterback Drew Lock, defensive back Jalen Mills, wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie, and tight ends Jack Stroll and Chris Manhertz.

While the signing of Mr. Burns created the biggest news, the success of the reinforcements along the offensive line is critical. The Giants were awful at protecting the quarterback last season and never helped Mr. Barkley develop a strong running game.

Rebuilding the offense line began with the hiring of new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, who previously coached the Las Vegas Raiders and the New England Patriots. He’ll have options in New York. Mr. Bricillo figures to start training camp with Mr. Eluemunor, who signed for two years at $14 million, and Mr. Runyan (three years, $30 million) as the starting guards to support center John Michael Schmitz, a second-round pick who started 13 games last season as a rookie.

Mr. Eluemunor, who moved from London to Denville, New Jersey, as a teenager, can also play right tackle should the Giants consider moving injury-prone Evan Neal, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft, from tackle to guard. Mr. Eluemunor played tackle for the Raiders when Mr. Bricillo coached there. He has high praise for Mr. Bricillo and is eager to be coached by him again.

“I’m really excited to be here,” Mr. Eluemunor said during his introductory press conference after joining the Giants. “I think this team is really on the up and up, and I’m really excited to play a part in that.”

The Giants figure to use the upcoming  draft to fill lingering needs for talent in the secondary, linebacker, and wide receiver. The quarterback situation could also get interesting. The Giants have the sixth overall selection and could be considering Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. 

The team, though, signed Daniel Jones to a four-year $160 million contract at the start of last season. Mr. Jones tore his ACL after six games and the organization could be looking for a new leader. Mr. Lock signed a one year deal worth $5 million to backup  Mr. Jones, squeezing out Tommy DeVito, who started six games last season. The New Jersey native could land on the practice squad if he can’t find a home elsewhere.