Getty New York Giants bring back Ryan Anderson.
After some complications, the Ryan Anderson project is back and running in East Rutherford. Waived by the New York Giants on Monday, August 9th, the veteran linebacker was back in the building on Tuesday, as if he never left.
According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Anderson’s release was simply a “procedural matter” related to his contract — one that has evidently been ironed out, as the team has since re-signed the 26-year-old pass-rusher.
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Anderson Gets His First Taste of Camp Action
Signed by the Giants in free agency with hopes that the former second-rounder could realize his potential and add some pop to the edge of their defense, the initial return on Anderson has not gone according to plan. He opened training camp on the non-football injury (NFI) list after sustaining a back injury away from the team. The ailment stripped the G-Men of his services for the first two weeks of camp and put him behind the eight-ball in what is an unproven, yet deep rotation of pass rushers.
Thankfully, it looks as if Anderson has not only put his contract issues behind him but his injury concerns as well. On the same day the team re-signed the Alabama product, they also activated him from the NFI list.
Anderson initially inked a one-year deal with the Giants back in March after spending the first four NFL seasons with NFC East foes, the Washington Football Team. The No. 49 overall selection in the 2017 NFL draft, Anderson has seen his career — much like his training camp thus far — marred by injuries. Appearing in a full slate of games just once, Anderson has played a total of 52 games (four starts) as a pro, compiled 86 tackles, 15 quarterback hits and 6.0 sacks. He has flashed at times, albeit in a limited capacity. In 2019, he ranked fourth in the NFL in forced fumbles with five. The year prior he earned an outstanding Pro Football Focus mark of 86.8 overall, but played only 16% of Washington’s defensive snaps that season.
Oshane Ximines Returns
One of the players Anderson will be competing with for snaps this season will be Oshane Ximines, who, like Anderson, also recently returned to action. The team kick-started the new workweek by activating the third-year pro and running back Saquon Barkley from the Physical Unable to Perform (PUP) list.
Ximines, 24, entered last season with huge expectations, lauded by many as Big Blue’s most likely breakout candidate. Unfortunately, the breakout never occurred as a rotator cuff injury halted his season after just four games.
“It’s tough, but it’s in the back seat now. Injuries are a part of the game, it’s something that, listen, everybody has to deal with,” said Ximines when asked by reporters how he dealt with last season. “So, as soon as I got hurt, I just wanted to do everything I could to get back, and that’s what I did.”
With injuries behind him, Ximines is looking to re-establish himself as one of the league’s brightest young pass rushers. As a rookie in 2019, Ximines recorded 4.5 sacks — tied for eighth-most among all rookies. Furthermore, he notched the sixth-best pass-rush grade among first-year edge defenders (min. 400 snaps), via Pro Football Focus.
“I just hope to come in every day and work as hard as I possibly can. That in itself is going help the defense take it to another level because you come in there, you’re putting your head down, and working, and that’s all you can really do,” Ximines added. “I’m just going to work every single day to get back and we’ll see when the season begins.”
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