With a new Mike Vrabel regime in town, the New England Patriots have moved on from many players while bringing in others since the NFL offseason began. One of the many players who became a free agent in March was linebacker Oshane Ximines, who is still unsigned and is an unrestricted free agent at this time.
A top-100 player in the 2019 NFL Draft, Ximines is a workhorse with positional versatility, speed, and power. He’s a great pass-rusher who gets in the backfield fast, and he can set the edge to stop the run, which are qualities that teams around the league value well.
Former Patriots LB Oshane Ximines is Still Unemployed Amid OTAs
Ximines made his way to New England when he signed a one-year, $1.125 million contract with the Patriots last offseason. Even though his injury history was a concern, his ability to make a big impact when healthy was too much for the Pats to ignore.
Ximines had an impressive preseason showing and was looking like he was earning legitimate playing time in New England.
Even though he projected to be a special-teams contributor, the former Old Dominion defender still contributed defensively, too. He finished the preseason with an 85.6 Pro Football Focus grade, further amplifying the hype surrounding him.
Unfortunately, his Patriots tenure didn't last long. Ximines only played two games in a New England jersey before suffering a season-ending knee injury before September was over.
With the way Vrabel and the Pats have retooled the roster, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Ximines wasn’t brought back, which has to do with the previous injury more than anything.
Interestingly enough, Ximines seems like the type of player Vrabel would want on his defense. The 28-year-old veteran is aggressive and can play all around the middle of the defense, and he’s even played with his hand down as an end while with the New York Giants.
With organized team activities (OTAs) ongoing and teams still evaluating what they have, Ximines is going to have to wait a little while before a team calls him. There was a lot of shakeup around the league with players going to new teams, many of them linebackers and ends, so he’s going to have to wait it out for now until another door opens.
If there’s a way to add Ximines as a practice squad player and allow him to prove himself with a closer eye on him, Vrabel and the Patriots could be open for a reunion.
But with the linebacker room fully stocked in New England right now, there isn’t an immediate need to sign Ximines at this time.