Tag: Isaiah Hodgins

Brandon Beane knew Giants would pluck good players from Bills roster

Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane fully expected New York Giants GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll to poach some of their talent last year.

Last offseason, following the New York Giants’ hiring of Joe Schoen as their next general manager, the team hired Brian Daboll to be their next head coach.

While their names may not have been familiar to many Giants fans, there was a sense of confidence in the new general manager-head coach combo given their time together building the Buffalo Bills into a contender.

The two have not forgotten their roots and have even brought over some talent from their time in Buffalo. That did not come as a surprise to Bills general manager Brandon Beane.

“Whenever we cut down our practice squad, we know we can lose guys, but particularly with Joe and Brian moving to New York, they knew our players and so you know it’s going to be harder to get guys through the cracks,” Beane told NJ Advance Media at the NFL owners’ meetings. “So I was thinking about it when we made the moves, but if it wasn’t the two guys they got, it would have been a couple of other guys that they would have done the same thing with.”

The Giants added former Bills offensive lineman Jon Feliciano and running back Matt Breida in free agency last year.

It didn’t end there as the Giants claimed defensive back Nick McCloud just days before the season began and wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins as a midseason pickup off waivers.

“He’s a pro and a hard worker,” Beane said of McCloud. “Nick knows what he’s good at and he knows the areas where he has to improve and sometimes players fail because they don’t recognize where they struggle. Nick is also instinctive and smart. He knows pre-snap what’s coming and it helps him get into the right position.”

Losing Hodgins also came as no surprise.

“We had thought for a couple of years that we could lose Isaiah,” Beane said. “We knew he could play.”

McCloud and Hodgins were great finds for Schoen. McCloud played over 50 percent of both the defensive and special teams snaps last season.

Hodgins turned into one of Daniel Jones’ favorite receivers down the stretch and had a big performance in the wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings.

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Giants’ Parris Campbell, Isaiah Hodgins already training together

New York Giants receivers Parris Campbell and Isaiah Hodgins are already training together in Arizona, and Daniel Jones may soon join them.

The New York Giants added to their wide receiver corps when they signed former Indianapolis Colts receiver Parris Campbell last week.

Campbell was drawn to the Giants because he believes the team is trending in the right direction. He’s also excited to have consistency at quarterback with Daniel Jones.

In Campbell’s opening press conference, he discussed his first interaction with Jones, who is excited to get to work with his new receiver:

“I’m actually out in Arizona training right now in the offseason, and he’s like, ‘I’ve got to get out to Arizona. Let’s get to work.’ That’s what you want. You’re a new guy coming in, a new piece to the offense, and the quarterback is already like, ‘Let’s go. Let’s get some work together.’ That’s just so welcoming,” Campbell said. “That’s so promising. Obviously, I’m ready to build on a relationship with him and create a rapport with him. So, just super excited. I haven’t really stopped smiling since I agreed to come here. Just excited.”

Campbell later joined The Giants Huddle Podcast and revealed that he’s also been working out with his new teammate, Isaiah Hodgins.

“Isaiah Hodgins is out there training with me. So he’s told me so much. Just about the offense, the organization, the people, the facilities, and everything. Having him out there and training with him is cool because I’m kind of getting to know him and we’re kind of building a relationship. So I’m excited for that to continue on,” he said.

Hodgins previously hinted he was recently recruiting a few days prior to the Giants’ deal with Campbell.

If Hodgins’ trajectory is any indication, Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka have a distinct plan for how they will use Campbell.

Campbell pinpointed the “family atmosphere” type culture surrounding the team and he believes having the team be a “close-knit” group could set the Giants up for success.

The texts from Daniel Jones are one thing, but the fact that Jones is excited to get to work and the fact that Campbell and Hodgins have already been working together can only help build chemistry early in the offseason.

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Brandon Beane not surprised by success of Giants WR Isaiah Hodgins

Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane says he’s not surprised by the success of New York Giants WR Isaiah Hodgins and expects it to continue.

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane explained on Tuesday why he waived wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins mid-season in 2022, a move that has puzzled many.

Hodgins was scooped up by the New York Giants and made an immediate impact for Big Blue during their playoff run last fall.

“If you look back with us, in the preseason, Isaiah the last two preseasons made a lot of great plays for us,” Beane told reporters. “It’s a numbers game, and so, unfortunately, you’ve got to figure out who you can get active and Isaiah not making our roster was more of a special teams thing than wide receiver. But love who he is and enjoyed watching his success up there with Brian (Daboll) and wish him nothing but the best.”

Ultimately, Beane said, he’s not at all surprised by Hodgins’ success and he expects it to continue.

Hodgins was a sixth-round pick by Buffalo out of Oregon State in 2020 but did not play his first NFL game until Week 16 of the 2021 season. He would only record stats in one game for the Bills. That was in Week 5 last season when he caught four passes for 41 yards against Pittsburgh.

After being picked up by the Giants, Hodgins played in eight games (starting five) racking up 352 yards on 33 receptions with four touchdowns.

For the record, Hodgins did not appear on special teams for the Giants last season.

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Giants’ Isaiah Hodgins likens Daniel Jones to Josh Allen

New York Giants WR Isaiah Hodgins sees a lot of Josh Allen in Daniel Jones, and apparently many Buffalo Bills players also do.

From the moment general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll took control of the New York Giants, comparisons began to arise.

After what Daboll had done for Josh Allen in Buffalo, would Daniel Jones be the next to take that leap in development? Was he the next Josh Allen?

As it turns out, however, those questions were being asked long before Schoen and Daboll joined the Giants. Up in Buffalo, players on the Bills already saw Jones as a Josh Allen lite. Or a “baby Josh Allen,” if you will.

“It’s funny because a lot of the players used to call Daniel Jones ‘Baby Josh Allen’ when we were over there,” Hodgins said while appearing on WFAN’s Tiki & Tierney.

“That was kind of like the joke … when it was my rookie year, (the Bills) were like ‘Hey, you know who’s gonna be Josh in a couple of years?'”

The similarities, even for those who have an irrational disdain for Jones, are obvious. Their size, strength, speed, and style are all very much the same. And in the first year under Daboll, Jones had a very Allen-like season in many ways.

“I definitely see it,” Hodgins said. “The way he can use his legs, which you saw more as the season went on, and how comfortable he was throwing on the run. That opens up the whole offense and makes the defense prepare for a whole different element. Combine that with his arm and his decision-making and prep, he’s got a lot of success coming his way.”

The Giants hope they can get Jones under contract and that he does, in fact, evolve into the next Josh Allen.

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Giants re-sign WR Isaiah Hodgins

The New York Giants have re-signed wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, who was scheduled to become an exclusive rights free agent.

With his first season as general manager of the New York Giants now in the rear-view mirror, Joe Schoen has some work to do to improve the roster this offseason.

The Giants have a need at wide receiver, which they will likely address in both free agency and the 2023 NFL draft.

The team entered last season with depth at wide receiver. That quickly changed, however, following the Kadarius Toney trade and a few injuries that left New York thin at receiver.

It was there that Isaiah Hodgins, who was claimed off waivers from the Buffalo Bills, made the best of his opportunity and established himself as an extremely reliable target for the Giants.

Hodgins’ production over the second half of the season was enough to earn a new deal with the team. He signed a one-year, $870,000 deal on Thursday.

Hodgins showed his excitement to be back in Giants’ blue after he was due to become an exclusive rights free agent:

Hodgins reeled in 33 catches for 351 yards and four touchdowns in just eight games after joining the Giants.

His presence over the second half of the season provided Daniel Jones with a reliable target down the stretch and into the playoffs. His new deal is a steal for the Giants assuming his production continues.

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Giants’ 5 biggest needs this offseason

The New York Giants are on the right track but there’s still work to be done, including these 5 issues that must be addressed this offseason.

The New York Giants just completed their best season in six years, posting a 10-8-1 overall record, qualifying for the postseason, and winning their first playoff game since Super Bowl XLVI over a decade ago.

That doesn’t mean the turnaround is complete. There is still much work to be done.

Here are the five most pressing needs the Giants need to address this offseason.

Giants 2022 season awards: MVP, Rookie of the Year and more

Giants Wire votes on and hands out 2022 season awards, including MVP and Rookie of the Year, for the New York Giants.

The New York Giants finished the 2022 regular season with a record of 9-7-1 and clinched their first playoff berth since 2016. They also picked up their first playoff win since Super Bowl XLVI.

But things ended with a “crash landing” as the Giants were dominated by the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs.

While the NFL announces its official awards at a later date, we’ll be discussing who deserves the MVP, Rookie of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year awards for the Giants in 2022.

7 biggest surprises of Giants’ 2022 season

The New York Giants were full of surprises in 2022 — some good and some bad — so we look back at the seven biggest.

The New York Giants season is over and now comes the time for us to unpack what the heck we witnessed this year.

There were a few disappointments this year and quite a number of surprises.

Here’s a look at seven of those surprises.

What the Eagles are saying after advancing to NFC Championship game with 38-7 win over Giants

Here’s what the Philadelphia Eagles are saying after a dominant 38-7 win over the New York Giants in the divisional round

The Eagles are set to host the NFC Championship game after a 38-7 win over the New York Giants in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

All-Pro quarterback Jalen Hurts was 16-24 passing for 154 yards and two passing touchdowns, while the third-year star also logged 9 carries for 34 yards and a rushing touchdown as well.

Philadelphia rushed for 268 yards on the ground as offensive coordinator Shane Steichen got back to his superb run-pass ratio on Saturday night, as the Birds ran 69 total plays, 44 of those plays coming on the ground.

With preparation for the NFC title matchup set to begin, here’s what the Eagles are saying after Saturday’s win.

8 takeaways from Eagles 38-7 win over Giants in divisional round

We’re looking at takeaways and observations from the Philadelphia Eagles’ 38-7 win over the New York Giants in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs

The Eagles are heading to the NFC title game after Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, and Philadelphia dominated the New York Giants 38-7 on Saturday night in an NFC divisional playoff game.

The Birds sacked Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and applied pressure on all but nine dropbacks according to Pro Football Focus.

The Eagles returned to their ground-and-pound philosophy, rushing for 268 yards on 44 deliberate carries, as Shane Steichen schematically kept Hurts out of harm’s way.

With Philadelphia awaiting the winner of Sunday’s matchup between the 49ers and the Cowboys, here are 8 takeaways from the blowout win.