Getty New York Giants wide receiver signing Chase Cota with the Detroit Lions during the 2023 preseason.
The New York Giants announced two reserve/future signings on January 23 via team reporter Dan Salomone: wide receiver Chase Cota and center Jimmy Morrissey. If all goes well, these prospects will compete for a practice squad or roster spot next summer during training camp.
The Giants signed WR Chase Cota and C Jimmy Morrissey to reserve/future contracts.
The headliner here is Cota, an undrafted rookie of the Detroit Lions in 2023. Although the 6-foot-4 pass-catcher has yet to appear in a regular season game, he must have caught head coach Brian Daboll’s eye during the preseason.
According to New York Daily News reporter Pat Leonard, Cota “led Detroit with 4 catches for 60 yards in a preseason win over [the] Giants.” From there, the youngster spent the bulk of his 2023 campaign with the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad and then finished with the Houston Texans.
Keep in mind that those are three playoff organizations this year — making Cota worth a look from a Giants perspective.
As for Morrissey, the 25-year-old center is a former seventh-round selection that has spent the majority of his career with the Texans despite being drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021. He has appeared in 14 NFL outings, logging 318 snaps on offense and another 25 on special teams.
New Giants WR Chase Cota Has Brief Experience as Punt Returner With Oregon & Lions
Cota played collegiate ball at UCLA for four seasons before transferring to Oregon. He registered 103 catches for 1,380 yards and nine receiving touchdowns over that five-year span in the PAC-12, per Sports Reference CFB.
The wideout’s best season was his last one with Oregon, where he caught 36 passes for 497 yards and three touchdowns. He also served as a punt returner — very briefly — with one return for 15 yards at Oregon.
Later, Cota auditioned for the same role in Detroit, and he actually busted loose a 28-yard return on his only preseason attempt with the Lions.
Considering 2023 punt returner Gunner Olszewski is slated to become a free agent again in March, it’s possible that the Giants look into a few returning options this spring. Big Blue could also use more wide receiver depth, so this NYG flyer might turn into a win-win for the 90-man roster if Cota performs.
Giants Must Build Around Jalin Hyatt & Wan’Dale Robinson at WR in 2024
Wide receiver is absolutely an area of need for Daboll and company heading into the 2024 offseason. The Giants could choose to address the position straightaway in the draft — as several experts have been linking them to either LSU’s Malik Nabers or Washington’s Rome Odunze at No. 6 overall.
Another route is spending big money on a true WR1. One suggestion targeted Indianapolis Colts rising star Michael Pittman Jr.
Either way, the plan should be to build this WR corps around recent draft picks Jalin Hyatt and Wan’Dale Robinson. The remainder of this group should not be considered safe — including potential cap casualty Darius Slayton.
Behind them, depth wide receivers Isaiah Hodgins, Sterling Shepard, Parris Campbell and the aforementioned Olszewski are all set to hit free agency this spring. It’s unclear if any of the four will return, and it’s safe to say that both Shepard and Campbell are expected to depart.
That leaves the door open for the Giants to do some major renovations at the position. 2024 is expected to be a deep draft class at the wide receiver position, and there are plenty of decent options in free agency as well.
It’s time for Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen to get to work in reshaping this roster.