On Thursday, the New York Giants made a few moves to help improve their team. One was bringing back an old friend, while the other came to help improve the offensive line. Let’s get into it.
Isaiah Hodgins Returns, Looks To Make An Impact in 2024
2022 was when we all first of Hodgins. The wideout was claimed off of the waiver wire from Buffalo during the middle of 2022 and played eight games for the Giants.
He started to make a name for himself in week 13, catching five balls for 44 yards and a touchdown against the Commanders (20-20 tie). More notably, his snap count started to increase as he got more comfortable with the team, making big plays along the way.
Hodgins finished with a touchdown in four of the last five games of the regular season, including an eight-catch, 89-yard performance against the Vikings.
When the Giants met Minnesota again in the wild-card round, Hodgins would become their nightmare once more. As comfortable as he could be with quarterback Daniel Jones, he caught eight balls for 105 yards and a touchdown.
2023 was the complete opposite for the wideout, as his statistics decreased across the board despite participating in all 17 games. It makes sense, as the Giants’ receiving room was unstable and guys were consistently being rotated in and out.
Despite the down year, the Giants decided to bring the wideout back onto the team. How much playing time he will get will be determined, as New York may draft a wide receiver at sixth overall to become the WR1 and have the rest of the guys on the team battle it out for WR2, WR3, and WR4.
Still 25 years old, Hodgins is a promising player based off of his 2022 performance. He’s mainly a red-zone target but needs to improve his game across the board if he wants to be more than that for the G-Men.
More Offensive Line Depth On The Way
The rebuilding of the offensive line continues, as the Giants agreed to terms with lineman Matt Nelson. After visiting with the team on Wednesday, he signed a day later.
Drafted by the Lions in 2019, he comes in to provide depth at the tackle position. More specifically: on the right side. This is interesting after the Giants already signed Jermaine Eluemunor and still have Evan Neal at right tackle. Maybe Neal does go to right guard?
Giants OT Matt Nelson
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) March 22, 2024
6’7” 315 lbs. 28 years old
2023: 2 starts
0 sacks 1 QB Hit 1 Pressure
2021: 11 starts
3 sacks 4 QB hits 34 pressures.
His 2023 pass blocking efficiency was ranked 6th (low sample size) for OT’s. I’m 2021, he ranked 83rd of 84.
Regardless, the more depth the better. Nelson had a 58.0 PFF grade last year, including grading out at 71.6 in the pass-blocking category.
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Featured Image: Al Bello/Getty Images
