Getty Isaiah Hodgins makes a catch during warmup before a Buffalo Bills preseason game.
The Buffalo Bills brought back a familiar face at Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, but the move came at the expense of a fan-favorite wide receiver who fought his way back from injuries to reach a milestone this season.
The Bills acquired safety Dean Marlowe in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons on November 1, sending a 2023 seventh-round pick in exchange for a player who spent three seasons with the Bills. The Bills also activated Tre’Davious White, who started the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list while rehabbing a torn ACL suffered last season.
The Bills made a pair of corresponding moves after the trade and activation, including the release of a fan-favorite wide receiver.
“To make room for the CB and Marlowe, the Bills have released defensive tackle Brandin Bryant and wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins,” the team announced.
Hodgins Has Had Bumpy Road With Bills
After being selected in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Hodgins had an up-and-down tenure with the Bills. He missed all of his rookie season with a shoulder injury, then appeared in just one game his second year, making no catches in the team’s December 26 win over the New England Patriots.
Hodgins started this season on the practice squad, but was signed to the active roster on October 8 after a series of injuries to the team’s wide receiving corps. Hodgins made four catches for 41 yards in the team’s 38-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, his first NFL catches and what turned out to be his only contributions this season.
We’ve signed WR Isaiah Hodgins and DB Ja’Marcus Ingram.
The 23-year-old had become a fan favorite after turning in strong training camp and preseason performances. He was one of the team’s top receivers this preseason, making 16 total catches for 124 yards through three games.
After making nine catches for 77 yards in the team’s first preseason game, Hodgins spoke about his long road to recover from injury and contribute to the team again.
“It was surreal,” Hodgins said, via a report from SI.com. “It’s just a blessing to be out there with my teammates and (I) got to get a good connection with (backup quarterback) Matt (Barkley). It was just great to get that feeling of catching the ball again. (I’ve) faced some injuries the past couple years so it just felt good to be out there.”
This may not be the end of the road for Hodgins, however. He is eligible to return to the practice squad, and the Bills have proven that they value his skill set and contributions.
Bills Balk at Adding Receiver
Though there were rumors connecting the Bills to a number of wide receivers at the trade deadline, they ultimately ended up adding depth in the secondary by reuniting with Marlowe and another running back by trading for Nyheim Hines of the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for running back Zack Moss and a conditional sixth-round draft pick.
As ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg and Stephen Holder noted, Hines has the potential to make contributions in the passing game.
“Since Hines, 25, entered the NFL in 2018, he ranks fifth among running backs in receiving yards (1,725),” they wrote. “This season the fourth-round pick out of NC State has 25 receptions for 188 yards on a struggling Colts offense that saw quarterback Matt Ryan benched for Sam Ehlinger.”
The #Bills now have Singletary and two of James Cook lol… the more the merrier #BillsMafia
If Hodgins were to return to the practice squad, he would likely be top in line to rejoin the team in case of an injury to a player ahead of him on the depth chart.
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Bills Cut Ties With Fan-Favorite WR, Top Preseason Performer