Mid-season, the New York Giants found themselves thin at receiver. It was then that General Manager Joe Schoen had to get creative with the Giants being tight for salary cap space.
Schoen added wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins in early November, a player he and head coach Brian Daboll were very familiar with from their days in Buffalo.
Hodgins quickly became one of Daniel Jones’ favorite targets for the remainder of the season and was a catalyst in the team’s playoff berth, leading to his getting a new contract this offseason to return to Big Blue.
Although this is Hodgins’ first training camp with the team, he already feels comfortable while knowing the value of his play in system last season:
“I feel very comfortable in the offense and the scheme,” Hodgins said. “Just being able to take a different approach to my game and knowing that I’m not just thrown into the fire like I was last year. (I) kind of get to work on some mental stuff for me. Kind of like looking at coverages and disguising stuff and seeing stuff that I give away and stuff that I can work on in my game. So, I’m trying to take that next step myself.
“I try to push myself to forget it completely about last year and just sit there and take it day by day and really eclipse what I did last year,” he said. “That’s our goal, we are not satisfied with that.”
This offseason, the Giants added a plethora of weapons including Darren Waller, Parris Campbell and Jalin Hyatt. Even with the additions, it’s likely Hodgins will be featured and continue to build chemistry with Daniel Jones.
Considering defenses will be heavily focused on Saquon Barkley and Darren Waller and given Hodgins a full offseason to work with the team, he could be primed for a big leap this season.