DeAndre Baker’s legal issues have shined a light on the New York Giants‘ cornerback position as a potential area to upgrade via free agency or trade. However, pass-rusher is still far and beyond the most glaring need in Big Blue’s defensive unit.
The team opted to not spend money or draft capital on the position this offseason, hoping that their young talent on the edge would blossom with extra snaps this year.
Soon-to-be 2nd-year man Oshane Ximines, in particular, is a player that the Giants organization and fandom have their eyes on as a potential breakout candidate in 2020. Apparently, they aren’t the only ones.
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Oshane Ximines is NY’s X-Factor
Giants fans already know about Ximines, but it’s about time the rest of the league gets accustomed.
Ximines, a 3rd-round pick out of Old Dominion in the 2019 NFL Draft, tied for the eighth-most sacks amongst all rookies last season with 4.5 sacks. Per Pro Football Focus, Ximines completed his inaugural NFL season with the 6th-best pass-rush grade among all rookie edge defenders (min. 400 snaps). That includes ranking ahead of two edge defenders who were selected in the first round.
Bleacher Report has obviously taken notice of Ximines’ unheralded production, and are expecting the Queens native to take his game to new heights next season, pegging the edge defender as New York’s “best-kept secret.”
The New York Giants don’t have an elite edge-rusher. But as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reported, head coach Joe Judge doesn’t think the G-Men necessarily need one.
‘I think you have to use what you have available to you,’ Judge said. ‘Everybody really wants an elite guy. I think that’s a true statement. No one’s going to turn down a good football player. But you have to find ways, if you don’t have necessarily that one elite guy, of getting production out of maybe two to three other players that complement each other.’
The thing is, the Giants might still wind up with one—provided Oshane Ximines continues to improve.
A second-year pro out of Old Dominion, Ximines had just 25 tackles and 4.5 sacks as a rookie. But he showed signs of marked improvement down the stretch, including a two-sack effort against the Eagles in December.
Edge-rushers face a steep learning curve in the pros. That’s doubly true for one from a small program. But Ximines has the talent and ability to be a consistent thorn in the side of signal-callers.
New York has been one of the worst teams in football in recent years at getting after the opposing quarterback, averaging the 5th-fewest sacks in the NFL over the past three seasons.
To make matters worse, Markus Golden, the team’s sack leader from 2019 and the first Giant to record double-digit sacks since 2014 is no guarantee to return to the team this coming season.
The Giants are putting their faith in Ximines as one of the players they hope can spearhead an improved pass-rush in 2020, and by most accounts, it appears he’s ready for the challenge.
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2nd-Year Pass Rusher Deemed Giants ‘Best-Kept Secret’