New York Giants Training Camp Preview: Edge Oshane Ximines

We conclude our New York Giants' 2022 training camp roster previews with a look at Oshane Ximines, a young edge rusher who needs a strong bounceback camp to hang around.

Oshane Ximines may be just 25 years old, but he made NFL history when, at age 22, he became the first player from Old Dominion University to be selected in the NFL Draft.

Ximines’ arrival to the Giants is somewhat of a bittersweet one, given that he was drafted with one of the picks the Giants acquired in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. The other draft pick, of course, would end up being defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II.

Since being drafted, Ximines has only played a full season once, in his rookie season.

In 2020, Ximines would start three of the first four games of the season before being placed on the injured reserve with a shoulder injury. In 2021, he was either inactive or active in seven games, causing one to wonder if perhaps he had a future with this team.

Fortunately for Ximines, the new regime has offered everyone a clean slate, which he needs to take advantage of, especially given the addition of some new faces at the outside linebacker position.

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What He Offers

Positionally, Ximines is the kind of player that defensive coordinator Wink Martindale could get creative with as he has experience playing on both sides of the defensive line, as well as playing out of a two-point stance or with his hand in the dirt.

It’s clear when watching Ximines, both at Old Dominion and with the Giants, that he’s a player who wins with technique as opposed to overpowering or outrunning opponents. The progression from his freshman season through the end of his college career was notable.

The biggest issue with Ximines is that he’s a fairly undersized edge defender in terms of not only height and weight, but he also has a fairly short wingspan at just 78⅝ inches, placing him in the 25th percentile.

Despite that, Ximines has had no problem finding some success as a pass-rusher in the NFL, at least during his rookie season when he recorded a 13.5 percent pass-rush win rate, good for fifth on the Giants roster for players that had at least 50 pass-rush snaps.

That hasn't necessarily translated into sacks, but the hope is that the production should come if he has bulked up, gotten stronger, and gotten a better grasp on his role as an outside linebacker.

Ximines is far from being a one-trick pony. He’s proven to be consistently average as a run defender. While “consistently average” might not sound great, he can defend the run and rush the passer, and he has special teams experience as a blocker.

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His Contract

Ximines was the 95th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and received a four-year deal worth $3,543,780 with $836,780 in guaranteed money.

If Ximines were to get released before the start of the 2022 season, the Giants would clear up $995,000 in salary cap space and take on a dead-money hit of $209,195. 

Otherwise, for 2022, Ximines will take up .58% of the Giants salary cap with his $1,204,195 total hit.

Roster Projection/Expectations

No one has given up on Ximines yet, as he has some tools worth developing. The biggest question mark at this point is likely his durability and ability to contribute consistently, but as a rotational edge, he’s one of the better inexpensive options.

With Martindale's plan to install a more aggressive defense, Ximines, in a situational pass rushing role, could find himself finding even more pressure opportunities if he can beat out fellow edge rushers like Quincy Roche and Elerson Smith. 

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