The New York Giants invested many assets this offseason in their defense. The team drafted a safety, cornerback, and multiple linebackers in the 2020 NFL Draft. In free agency, New York’s two splash signings were defenders too; cornerback James Bradberry and linebacker Blake Martinez.
The Giants will enter 2020 with a brand new secondary and a brand new linebacker corps. One position, however, that the team did not invest a lot into is arguably their biggest weakness: the pass-rushers. New York signed only one edge rusher in free agency, Kyler Fackrell. Other than Fackrell, the team’s edge rushers are unchanged. Oshane Ximines, Lorenzo Carter, and, likely, Markus Golden will be the team’s pass-rushers.
Last season, Markus Golden was a pleasant surprise. The veteran totaled 10 sacks in his first season with the team. On the flip side, Lorenzo Carter was a bit of a disappointment in 2019. After a solid rookie season in which Carter totaled 4 sacks in 441 snaps, Lorenzo followed it up with only 4.5 sacks in 723 snaps in 2019. Lorenzo Carter did not develop in his sophomore season the way fans expected him to. But what about Oshane Ximines?
Oshane Ximines was the Giants’ third-round pick out of Old Dominion in 2019. He too had a solid rookie season. But heading into his sophomore season, will Ximines breakout or disappoint?
Oshane Ximines Stats and Highlights
Statistically, the rookie seasons of Oshane Ximines and Lorenzo Carter are very comparable. Both players started 2 games, totaled 4.5 sacks, and were efficient tacklers. Each player recorded 0 missed tackles in their rookie seasons. However, Carter also attempted far more tackles than Ximenes. Ximines totaled only 25 combined tackles in 2019, while Carter recorded 43 in 2018.
It is interesting to note that X-Man recorded 18 less combined tackles in 45% of defensive snaps that Carter did in 40% of defensive snaps. Another interesting thing to note is Ximines’s lack of quarterback pressures. He recorded only 12 pressures in 28 blitz attempts, compared to Carter’s 19 pressures in 32 blitz attempts as a rookie in 2018.
Oshane’s 42% pressure rate is solid, but not nearly as impressive as Lorenzo Carter’s pressure rate of 59% as a rookie. However, Carter suffered a fall from grace in 2019, recording only 23 pressures on 78 blitz attempts, a pressure rate of 29%. He also had a missed tackle rate of 15.1%, indicating further a clear regression in his performance during his second season.
Lorenzo Carter took a step backward in year two. That doesn’t mean that Oshane Ximines will regress too, but, upon analyzing his statistics, it does not appear highly likely that Ximines will have a breakout season in 2020. A larger role could lead to increased productivity, but that is what Giants fans thought heading into Lorenzo Carter’s second season. It might be best for fans to temper expectations heading into Oshane Ximines’s second NFL season.