About 600 days after he starred in a Giants playoff victory, Isaiah Hodgins was cut and offered just a spot on the practice squad.
This week marked a humbling turn of events — back to his prove-it roots — for the receiver, who was quarterback Daniel Jones’ favorite target down the stretch of the 2022 season.
Back then, Hodgins capped an out-of-nowhere hot streak with eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown — his fifth in six games — during a wild-card win against the Vikings.
Today, he is trying to claw his way back onto the 53-man roster.
“I think my game has grown a lot since then — I’m smarter, faster — and my toughness and my grit, my want-to and my why are still there,” Hodgins said. “You have to be given the opportunity to show them. In 2022, they were giving six to 10 targets a game, and I was making the most of them. I truly believe if they were giving me six targets a game, I’d be making the most of them even more. When it gets to be time to show that, I’ll be able to.”
The Giants are heavily invested in four receivers: Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt.
Two other versatile receivers filled niches — returner Gunner Olszewski and kick-coverage specialist Bryce Ford-Wheaton.
“Those conversations are never easy to have,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “You just try to be transparent. I think there’s mutual respect. That’s what you hope for.”
It left Hodgins and Allen Robinson in the cold.
Whereas Robinson signed with the Lions practice squad instead of returning to the Giants, Hodgins stayed put.
“It wasn’t my ideal situation, and it definitely was tough, but it’s not going to stop my work ethic or my preparation,” Hodgins said. “I have a good support system. I just felt like there is still opportunity for me here somewhere. At some point, I’ll be able to show my worth and my reliability.”
Hodgins’ eight touchdowns for the Giants over the past two seasons trailed only the departed Saquon Barkley.
He has had opportunities to move on — in free agency and more recently with other practice-squad offers — but keeps coming back.
“You are just moving a lot just for a lot of uncertainty,” “You go to another practice squad, and they are saying, ‘He’s our main guy. He’ll be the first guy [called] up.’ Is it really the truth?” Hodgins said. “Here, I know the people, I know the system, and I know they have the trust and faith in me to go compete if anything happens.”
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Backup C Austin Schlottmann (leg) was placed on injured reserve and is likely to miss “more than” four weeks after he was injured during Wednesday’s practice, Daboll said.
He was in a cast pushing a scooter in the locker room.
Starting RG Greg Van Roten and LG Jon Runyan Jr. both snapped some during training camp.
Van Roten is most likely to step in if C John Michael Schmitz is sidelined, with G Aaron Stinnie filling his spot.
FB/TE Jakob Johnson was elevated to the 53-man roster in the corresponding move.
CB Art Green, CB Duke Shelley and DT Elijah Garcia were signed to the practice squad.
Shelley has started 11 of 52 career regular-season games.
He was on the field for all 72 defensive snaps when the Hodgins-led Giants beat his Vikings in the 2022 playoffs.
Green and Garcia both were cut by the Broncos earlier this week.
