Since being picked up on waivers after his release from the Buffalo Bills, Isaiah Hodgins has made the most of his big opportunity with the New York Giants.
The Giants snagged the former 2020 draft pick after he was waived by the Bills on November 1, and in a little less than two weeks he was able to move up the depth chart. Hodgins matched his career high in receiving yards in his team’s 24-16 win over the Houston Texans on November 13, and could see an even bigger role going forward after the Giants benched their $72 million wide receiver.
Hodgins Makes Impact for Giants
Hodgins made two catches for 41 yards against the Texans, second on the team behind only Darius Slayton. It matched the career high that Hodgins set for the Bills in their 38-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Giants have shaken up their wide receiving depth chart, benching veteran Kenny Golladay in the second half of Sunday’s win as he struggled with drops. As the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy noted, the benching created an opening for Hodgins.
Isaiah Hodgins makes his first catch with the Giants, a 15-yard catch.
“It was the second benching of the season for Golladay, who disagreed with the coaching staff’s thinking after playing just two snaps in Week 2,” Dunleavy wrote. “He said wide receivers coach Mike Groh delivered the news Sunday at halftime that newcomer Isaiah Hodgins (two catches for 41 yards) was going to take over as the ‘X’ receiver.”
Golladay did not seem thrilled with the move. When asked after the game whether he agreed with the rationale from coaches, Golladay bit his tongue.
“It really doesn’t matter,” Golladay said. “I’m going to keep that comment to myself.”
Bills Lost Hodgins After Trade Deadline
The Bills had released Hodgins to make room on the roster for a pair of trade-deadline acquisitions, running back Nyheim Hines and safety Dean Marlowe. Though the Bills had been able to move Hodgins to the practice squad after final roster cutdowns in August, this time the Giants placed a waiver claim on the 24-year-old receiver.
New York’s acquisition ended a long and sometimes bumpy road for Hodgins in Buffalo. After being selected in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, he missed his rookie season with a shoulder injury and appeared in just one game his second season, registering no catches in a December 26 win over the New England Patriots.
Hodgins showed promise this preseason, making 16 total catches for 124 yards through three games. He earned his way to the Bills’ active roster in October after a spate of injuries to other receivers, and made his first career catches in the win over the Steelers.
Though the Bills have one of the league’s top offenses, they have struggled in recent games to find consistency beyond top receiver Stefon Diggs.
Bills edge rusher Von Miller revealed that he’s been working on bringing in help, speaking with former teammate Odell Beckham Jr. to convince him to sign with Buffalo.
“I’ve been recruiting him. I’ve gave him the spiel,” Miller said, via a report from Syracuse.com. “I’ve had him on the phone with the General Manager. Beane sees it the same way that I see it. The ball is in ‘OBJ’s court. If he wants to come here, it’s because he wants to come here. He’s going to be happy because he made that choice for himself, and if he doesn’t, it’s all love. I’ll support him the same way I would if he’s here.”
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Ex-Bills WR Moves Up Depth Chart as Giants Bench $72M Receiver