WRs Isaiah Hodgins, Gunner Olszewski On Giants’ Roster Bubble

As HBO revisits the Saquon Barkley divorce, the Giants will have other roster matters to consider once training camp begins. Determining their wide receiver path will be one of them.

Steadily adding pieces to a group that has been one of the NFL’s worst throughout Daniel Jones‘ career, the Giants have Malik Nabers set to headline this year’s wideout contingent. Nabers joins Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll Day 2 draftees Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt as roster locks, with Dave Gettleman-era pickup Darius Slayton — the team’s leading receiver in four of the past five seasons — still in place after a minor adjustment to his contract. This leaves battles to round out the pass-catching setup.

Isaiah Hodgins re-signed this offseason, though the Giants did not tender the 2022 waiver claim as an RFA. Hodgins is back on a one-year, $1.1MM deal. The former Bills sixth-rounder is in competition for the team’s No. 5 receiver role, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, who notes a responsibility change will be necessary (subscription required).

Although Hodgins has been a backup for most of his career, he has played only three special teams snaps in four seasons. Those came in Buffalo. No. 5 wideouts, barring unusual arrangements, typically play regular ST roles. Hodgins’ lack of work in this area threatens his job security, as the Giants guaranteed him only $325K upon the late-March re-signing. The Giants appear prepared to change Hodgins’ lack of a special teams job, with Duggan adding they gave him work on the punt and kick-return teams during the offseason program.

Hodgins, 25, has made memorable contributions as a receiver since coming to the Big Apple. The 200-pound wideout caught 37 passes for 392 yards and four touchdowns (in 10 games) following an October 2022 waiver claim. Hodgins then became the eighth post-merger Giant to post a 100-yard receiving stat line in a playoff game, hauling in eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown in the Giants’ wild-card win over the Vikings. Last season, however, Hyatt ate into Hodgins’ workload. Hodgins finished the 2023 season with 21 catches for 230 yards.

The Giants have Allen Robinson waging an uphill battle for a reserve role, with Duggan adding Gunner Olszewski factors into the roster math here. The Giants also re-signed Olszewski this offseason, circling back to the return man 10 days before Hodgins. A former Patriots and Steelers ST presence/auxiliary wideout, Olszewski returned a punt for a score as a Giant last season but did not catch a pass in 10 games with the team. Olszewski, however, has been a regular NFL returner for five seasons and earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2020.

The team also signed Isaiah McKenzie, who joined Hodgins in working with Daboll in Buffalo, and added ex-Ravens and Steelers backup Miles Boykin. McKenzie’s presence and superior receiving production would stand to impact Olszewski, as the 5-foot-7 talent also carries extensive punt- and kick-return experience. Boykin also has been a regular special-teamer throughout his career; he logged a 70% ST snap rate last season in Pittsburgh.

This represents a different sort of problem for the Giants, who have needed Slayton and Hodgins regularly since their previous receiver nucleus — one headlined by Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney — imploded in 2022. But the back end of this group will be worth monitoring during camp.