Practice Report: Bryce Ford-Wheaton ‘happy to get the opportunity’

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Bryce Ford-Wheaton was never as happy to be ignored as he was when he arrived at the Giants’ headquarters Tuesday morning.

The first-year wide receiver saw personnel staffers waiting to intercept the players who were about to learn from coach Brian Daboll they were being released. But no one approached him.

“I was definitely a little nervous coming in here,” Ford-Wheaton said today after practice. “There were like four people standing there, just kind of grabbing people, and nobody grabbed me. They let me walk through. So, I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I made it.'”

Ford-Wheaton had indeed earned a spot on the 53-man roster, the latest installment in an ongoing inspiring story. The 6-3, 225-pound wideout arrived here last season hoping to surmount the long odds faced by all undrafted rookies. A strong training camp and impressive preseason left him on the cusp of the roster before he tore his ACL in the preseason finale against the Jets.

After spending the entire offseason here, Ford-Wheaton began camp as a former rookie free agent who was coming off a serious injury and was competing with veterans like Isaiah Hodgins and Allen Robinson to become the Giants’ fifth receiver. When those vets were intercepted at the front door on Tuesday, Ford-Wheaton had a chance to stay. Hodgins is on the Giants’ practice squad.

“A lot of time in the offseason was spent here and I’m glad to finally be here for good,” Ford-Wheaton said. “I think versatility might have played a role, especially just on special teams. I think I bring a different kind of aspect to special teams. I think ultimately that’s what got me here.”

Ford-Wheaton, 24, is close with the Giants’ four frontline receivers: Darius Slayton (27), Wan’Dale Robinson (23), Jalin Hyatt (22), and rookie Malik Nabers (21).

It is a close-knit group, but it’s Robinson who Ford-Wheaton adopted as a role model. When Robinson was a rookie in November 2022, he suffered a torn ACL, and had to endure the usual arduous rehabilitation for those who have that injury. After passing the one-year anniversary of his surgery, Robinson caught 18 passes in the 2023 season’s final four games.

Virtually from the moment Ford-Wheaton was hurt last year, Robinson has encouraged and counseled him. He is thrilled his friend is still in the receivers room.

“I can’t even put that in the words,” Robinson said. “I told him the other day; we get here pretty early in the morning. There’s not a lot of people here and I walked up to him, and I was like, ‘Hey bro, I’m proud of you.’ I just had to really give him his props and let him know. I see everything that he’s been through, and I’d always been talking to him. I’m like, ‘Bro, I know exactly how it feels.’

“Sometimes we’d be at practice, and he’d say, ‘Man, my knee is hurting a little.’ I’m like, ‘I know brother, it’s just part of it. But you’re gonna get through it.’ He just battled each and every day with rehab and doing the extra stuff that you gotta do with that injury to make sure you’re ready for the next day.”

Ford-Wheaton’s injury was particularly exasperating, because it didn’t involve contact with another player. He was running down to cover a punt when his knee hyperextended. The team’s medical staff knew quickly that his ACL was torn.

“You have to get that fixed and you know it’s going to be a long process,” he said. “That was the most frustrating thing. But put one foot in front of the other, had a good group of guys around me last year, and it got me through it.

“Dabs (coach Brian Daboll) and Joe (Schoen, the general manager), literally, right when I did it, they said they were going to put me on I.R. and rehab here. And I felt that it would be beneficial to go to the meetings and still be around the guys. After the season, I told my family (in North Carolina) I wasn’t coming home, and I stayed here.”

Ford-Wheaton attended the entire offseason program and was on the field for all the OTAs. He said a turning point in his comeback was the two joint practices with the Detroit Lions early this month, when he not only caught several passes, but distinguished himself in special teams drills.

“I was happy to get the opportunity to go out there and have live reps on special teams against somebody else.” Ford-Wheaton said.

At West Virginia University, Ford-Wheaton was a sporadic special teams contributor. But here, those roles helped secure him a roster spot.

“I think that helped me a lot,” he said. “I think I can make an immediate impact on special teams. I feel like coach Ghoby (special teams coach Michael Ghobrial) really believes in me in that aspect. He always spoke life into me, even before I really knew what I could do on special teams. He was preaching to me, ‘You could be a leader at this.’ I took his word for it, because some of the stuff I’ve never done before, like the new kickoff return and being a gunner.”

Regarding his potential contributions at wide receiver, Ford-Wheaton said, “I can go in and do the things that need to be done.”

Robinson is confident his teammate can be a significant contributor.

“I mean, he’s a freak of nature, for real,” Robinson said. “He’s strong as hell, he’s fast. He can do it all. I’m pretty sure special teams is what they love the most about him, at least right now, but he still brings an added piece to our receiver room. He’s a big body, he can block, strong hands, can go up and get the ball. He’s still developing in the receiver aspect and obviously all of us are. But I think he’s going to have a really big impact for us.”