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Brian Burns of the New York Giants should be a top trade target for the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears walked out of the 2026 NFL Draft with seven new players and the same glaring problem they had before it began: they still don’t have enough quality pass rushers.

After bypassing every available edge rusher in favor of safety Dillon Thieneman at No. 25, center Logan Jones at No. 57, tight end Sam Roush at No. 69 and wide receiver Zavion Thomas at No. 89, general manager Ryan Poles’s only remaining recourse to fix the issue is via trade.

One realistic name to monitor is New York Giants edge Brian Burns. Windy City Gridiron’s Erik Duerrwaechter floated the idea in an April 27 article. “There has been noise of the New York Giants shopping DE Kayvon Thibodeaux (and potentially Brian Burns) following their selection of Arvell Reese,” he wrote, before expanding on the idea later on X.

“It could be quite a while before the #Bears make their move at DE,” Duerrwaechter noted, adding: “But, based on how this offseason has gone, don’t be surprised when a trade is finalized. And FWIW Brian Burns has $0 guaranteed and would count just $2.8M against the cap post June-1st.”

Why Edge Rusher Brian Burns Remains a Logical Trade Option for the Chicago Bears

GettyBrian Burns of the New York Giants could be an edge rusher the Chicago Bears target via trade.

PFF ranked Chicago’s defensive line 26th in the NFL last season, and they haven’t made many noteworthy additions this offseason. There’s some enthusiasm that Austin Booker, who finished third on the team with 4.5 sacks while missing seven games, can break out in 2026. Veteran Montez Sweat led the team with 10.0 sacks last year, but with Dayo Odeyingbo remaining a huge question mark and little depth behind them, adding a difference-maker via trade makes sense.

Burns, who just turned 28, has been to three Pro Bowls and led the Giants in sacks with 16.5 in 2025. A second-team All-Pro in 2025, he’d also fit well in Dennis Allen’s defense. Burns has spent his career as a stand-up edge in 3-4 schemes, and he’s one of the better hand-in-the-dirt edges in the league. And, as Duerrwaechter noted, a post-June 1 trade would only count $2.8 million against the cap. The Bears could then restructure his current $141 million deal to make it more team-friendly.

The Giants used the No. 5 overall pick on Reese last week, and he joins 2025 No. 3 pick Abdul Carter, Burns and former first-rounder Thibodeaux on the edge. Something has to give. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Giants don’t intend to trade Thibodeaux, which could put Burns squarely in play.

Chicago now has just under $11 million in available cap space, per OTC, so a trade for Burns is a definite possibility.

Burns Doesn’t Have the Concerning Injury History Maxx Crosby Does

Burns, who has averaged better than nine sacks a year since entering the league in 2019, would force tackles to pick a side between himself and Sweat. He’d be a genuine difference-maker for Chicago — and his injury history isn’t anywhere near as concerning as other potential trade candidates like, say, Maxx Crosby.

Burns has never missed more than one game in any of his seven seasons in the league, which speaks to his durability. Considering the Giants’ current surplus of edges, it’d be a dereliction of duty if Poles didn’t at least call GM Joe Schoen about Burns’ availability.

In the meantime, Poles and company can spend the next month evaluating Chicago’s rookies in OTAs before potentially taking a big swing on a player like Burns.

Beth Mishler-Elmore Beth Mishler-Elmore is a Heavy sports contributor based in the Midwest, focusing on the NFL, NBA and WNBA. More about Beth Mishler-Elmore