Oshane Ximines has been granted a second chance with the New York Giants.
Ximines had a rough start to his career, totaling just 4.5 sacks over his first three NFL seasons (all of which came in his rookie season). As a promising third-round edge rusher, that was disappointing to see for the Giants’ front office.
This made Ximines a popular cut candidate in the minds of the media as he had no ties to the current regime. However, the 25-year-old edge rusher fought hard and earned his spot according to Brian Daboll.
“Yeah, well he earned his spot. He had a good camp,” Daboll told reporters on Monday. “I know that Wink (Martindale), Drew (Wilkins) and the rest of the coaches have a lot of confidence in him on defense and when the other guys that we had at those spots couldn’t play, like I said the guys on the team are here for a reason.
“He’s been a great teammate. I think he’s gotten better and better each day. I love his personality. He’s a really good guy. And I think he’s improving every day as a player on our defense. And sometimes you just need a fresh start.”
Ximines impressed the coaching staff this offseason and made himself a part of this new regime. He also showed Big Blue why they kept him as he was the Giants’ best defender by Pro Football Focus with a grade of 86.0.
Ximines recorded six tackles (three solo), two QB hits, and one crucial pass breakup in the Giants’ win over the Tennessee Titans. Hopefully, for Ximenes and the Giants, this will only continue to improve when Azeez Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux return from injury.
