Giants 25-Year-Old WR Called ‘Surprise Cut’ Candidate After 2023 Regression

New York Giants training camp is just around the corner and with that comes the largest roster cutdown in sports.

Each NFL franchise will drop from 90 players to 53 — not counting the practice squad — after training camp and the preseason. And there are always one or two unexpected cuts that end up occurring.

A-to-Z Sports set out to predict the most “surprising” cuts for each team during an article on June 27, and Giants contributor Mauricio Rodriguez went with staff favorite wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins — a player NYG general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll both had a hand in drafting and developing in Buffalo.

“Hodgins might look like a roster lock at first sight but the Giants have beefed up at wide receiver and the battle for that last WR spot will be fun to monitor,” Rodriguez noted.

Reasoning: “The Giants signed Allen Robinson after the NFL Draft and assuming they like him, Hodgins might find himself on the outside looking in. Keep in mind, Hodgins has only six career special teams snaps, which means WR6 could go to a specialist like Gunner Olszewski or Isaiah McKenzie.”

Although nothing is decided just yet, Rodriguez is on the money with a couple points here.

First off, Hodgins and Robinson seem to be competing for a roster spot, mano a mano. Some have already predicted that Robinson will lose this battle, while Rodriguez appears to be betting on the alternative.

Secondly, special teams will be a huge factor in determining the final one or two WR jobs. McKenzie versus Olszewski feels like another head-to-head camp competition at wide receiver/returner, although it’s possible a running back like Dante Miller joins that discussion.

Miles Boykin and Bryce Ford-Wheaton have also been highlighted as potential core special teamers.

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Giants WRs Isaiah Hodgins & Allen Robinson Are Very Similar at This Stage of Their Careers

When looking at the Giants WR corps, Hodgins and Robinson match up because of how much they have in common. Sure, their backstories and resumes are very different, but they’re similar players at this stage of their respective careers.

Primarily, both Hodgins and Robinson have turned into red zone threats. The 25-year-old is a 6-foot-3 target that has displayed a nose for the endzone with eight touchdowns over his past 27 games, while the 30-year-old former Pro Bowler once recorded 14 TDs in a single season.

Of course, that was a long time ago, and the Giants have to figure out how much Robinson has left in the tank.

Over the past two seasons (28 appearances split between the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers), Robinson only has three touchdowns. He has also accumulated slightly less total yardage than Hodgins with 631 receiving yards compared to 689.

Continuing on, both have done next to nothing on special teams. Hodgins has played three ST snaps since entering the league in 2021, while Robinson only has 26 ST snaps over a 10-year career.

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Is There Any Way Isaiah Hodgins & Allen Robinson Both Make Week 1 Roster?

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Hodgins and Robinson both make the 53, but if that occurs, it probably means something unfortunate has happened.

For example, an injury to a WR “lock” could free up an extra spot for Hodgins or Robinson. Or let’s say a recent draft pick like Jalin Hyatt really were to struggle this summer — and even then, cutting him would be highly unlikely.

The more probable outcome is that Hodgins and Robinson duke it out for a backup/red zone role. And although the former regressed in 2023, Robinson has been on the decline for years.

So, based on all of these factors — as well as Hodgins’ age and coaching ties — it would be somewhat surprising if the staff ended up choosing Robinson over him. Of course, a strong preseason from the former NFL star could level the playing field.

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