Isaiah Hodgins is coming back to the New York Giants. Finally.
The Giants are signing Hodgins, who starred for them during their improbable run to the playoffs, off the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad.
This move comes several weeks after a season-ending injury to No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers and then a hamstring injury Darius Slayton left the Giants without enough reliable wide receivers.
Hodgins, of course, played in the offense Mike Kafka now runs for the Giants from 2022-2024, and prior to that with the Buffalo Bills. He should provide Jameis Winston this week and Jaxson Dart hopefully the remainder of the season with a reliable target for an offense that has been badly lacking in wide receiver depth.
Hodgins has spent most of the season on Pittsburgh’s practice squad after being released by the San Francisco 49ers in late August when cuts to the 53-man roster limit were made.
Big Blue View’s Chris Pflum had this immediate reaction when the news broke:
There are two questions:
- Why did it take this long to re-sign Hodgins?
- Why did he fall out of favor with the Giants in the first place?
Hodgins was claimed off waivers by the Giants on Nov. 2, 2022 and immediately became an impact player. After languishing with the Bills and catching only four passes over three seasons with Buffalo after being a sixth-round draft pick in 2020, he quickly turned into a favorite target for Daniel Jones.
He caught 33 passes for 351 yards (10.6 yards per catch) and four touchdowns in the regular season. Then, despite playing with a fractured foot, had eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown in the Giants’ 31-24 playoff victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
Despite that, he was pushed down the depth chart in 2023 when he started only nine of 17 games and caught just 21 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns.
In 2024, he dropped even further when he was cut and re-signed to the practice squad. He appeared in three games for the Giants with two receptions. He signed with the 49ers after the season.
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