Like the Giants as a team, Hodgins couldn’t duplicate surprising 2022 run last season
Isaiah Hodgins had a star turn when he joined the New York Giants in 2022. In 2023, Hodgins was a bit player who couldn’t re-create the previous season’s magic.
In which direction will Hodgins’ Giants tenure go? Let’s discuss Hodgins as we continue our player-by-player profiles of the Giants’ 90-man roster.
The skinny
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 200
Opening day age: 25
Position: Wide receiver
Experience: 4
Contract: One-year, $1,035,000 | 2024 cap hit: $1,035,000 | Guaranteed in 2024: $325,000
Career to date
Hodgins was a sixth-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2020. He couldn’t crack the loaded Bills’ wide receiver rotation, though, and caught only four passes in three games before Buffalo waived him in the middle of the 2022 season.
The Giants, in desperate need of wide receiver help, jumped at the opportunity. GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll knew Hodgins well from their time in Buffalo. They claimed him and Hodgins paid immediate dividends.
In eight games (five starts), Hodgins caught 33 passes for 351 yards (10.6 yards per catch) and four touchdowns. In the Giants’ playoff victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Hodgins starred with eight receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Hodgins was unable to build on that success in 2023. He lost playing time to third-round pick Jalin Hyatt, and ended up with just 21 receptions for 230 yards (11.0 yards per catch) and three touchdowns.
2024 outlook
At first glance, Hodgins looks like WR5 on the Giants’ depth chart behind first-round pick Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson and Hyatt.
If Hodgins is that, though, could he actually end up fighting to maintain his spot on the 53-man roster?
Hodgins can’t help on special teams, having played only three special teams snaps in his career. Could that put him at a disadvantage in a fight for a roster spot with players like Gunner Olszewski and Isaiah McKenzie, who are experienced kick returners? Could Hodgins lose his job to veteran Allen Robinson? Could a young receiver like Ayir Asante or Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who could have special teams roles, pass him by?
Hodgins’ 2022 heroics are still fresh in the minds of Giants’ fans. They won’t, though, guarantee him anything in 2024.
