Stay or Go: Should the Giants bring Oshane Ximines back for the 2023 season?

The Giants had high hopes for Oshane Ximines when they drafted him out of Old Dominion in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. But after a solid rookie season, a torn rotator cuff derailed his second pro season, and his production has never been the same.

Most NFL games are won in the trenches, and you can never have too many pass-rushing options, but is a new contract for Ximines in the cards for the Giants?

Here are the pros and cons of bringing him back…

Why Ximines should be back

At 6-foot-4, 254 pounds, Ximines has the size and skill set to be an effective pass-rusher in the NFL. His rookie season is a prime example. Ximines appeared in 16 games as a rookie, totaling 4.5 sacks with five tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits while playing 45 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps.

He played in only four games in 2020 before landing on IR with that rotator cuff injury, and his season came to an end. His playing time dropped down to 27 percent of defensive snaps in 2021 as he made his way back from injury and saw then-rookie Azeez Ojulari start 13 games and play in all 17 games.

But Ximines proved he can stay healthy in 2022, as he played in 15 games and saw his playing time tick back up to 51 percent of snaps. His sack numbers weren’t the same (2.0 sacks in 15 games), but Ximines isn’t likely to command a huge contract on the open market.

Elite free agent pass-rushers will end up taking home big-money contracts this offseason, and while the Giants will have some cap space, they don’t really need to go that route since Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux appear to both be budding stars. What the Giants need is depth on the edge, and Ojulari fits the bill as a low-cost pass-rusher with plenty of upside.

Why Ximines shouldn’t be back

Ximines has all the tools to be a great pass-rusher, but at the end of the day, sometimes it comes down to production. 

Fair or unfair, edge rushers are almost always judged by their sack numbers, despite how defensive coordinators will praise them for pushing the pocket and disrupting plays. And Ojulari’s production really hasn’t been there since his rookie season.

He had just 2.0 sacks last season, and none after the Week 5 win over the Green Bay Packers. And in 2021, his production was non-existent. In fact, a costly offsides penalty in Week 8 of that season against the Kansas City Chiefs nullified what would have been a Patrick Mahomes interception, which led to Joe Judge benching him for virtually the rest of the season, outside of some special teams snaps here and there.

The fact of the matter is that Ximines hasn’t lived up to his third-round draft status, and while injuries have played a role, he just hasn’t been able to really put it all together.

Verdict

As is the case with every pending free agent, it really comes down to money. At just 26 years old, Ximines probably feels he’s still in the prime of his career, and perhaps he thinks a change of scenery could be best for him.

If he’s willing to take a team-friendly deal as a situational pass-rusher, then perhaps the Giants consider retaining Ximines. But it feels more likely that the Giants move on and look to add a more productive edge rusher, whether in the draft of via free agency.