New York Giants Elevate Isaiah Hodgins, Dante Miller from Practice Squad

The New York Giants have made a pair of roster elevations that bode well for cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson and Dru Phillips, both of whom missed last week’s game with calf strains and both of whom are listed as questionable for Sunday’s Week 5 contest against Seattle.

Those two standard practice squad elevations are wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins and running back Dante Miller from the practice squad ahead of Sunday’s game in Seattle.

The elevation of Hodgins is to give the Giants added receiver depth after rookie Malik Nabers (concussion) was declared out on Friday and not making the trip, and was expected. 

The elevation of Miller was also expected given Devin Singletary (groin) being listed as doubtful. Miller, who can also contribute on kickoffs, could end up seeing his first NFL action if the Giants decide to take one of Tyrone Tracy, Jr. or Eric Gray off kickoff returns because he’s needed to carry the load at running back if Singletary is indeed inactive.

Singletary told reporters on Friday that he still held out hopes of playing despite his injury and that it would all depend on how he felt. But with the long cross-country flight and the fact that Singletary only managed to get limited snaps in on Friday, the team apparently intends to hold him out this week rather than risk having him undo any progress he made in his treatment.

It’s unclear how close Phillips and Jackson are to returning, but the Giants’ decision to forgo elevating Duke Shelley, who is capable of playing both in the slot and outside, is a positive sign that both Phillips and Jackson, the latter of whom can play outside and in the slot, are indeed trending toward being active Sunday.

Both will likely go through a pre-game workout viewed by the medical staff before a final determination is made on their respective statuses. 

In transaction news, the Giants activated linebacker Matthew Adams from injured reserve and waived linebacker Benton Whitley. Adams injured his groin in the Giants’ second preseason game this summer and landed on IR with the designation to return at the start of the season.

Adams was signed for his special teams prowess, the role he’s expected to fill starting this weekend. 

Whitley, meanwhile, has only appeared in two defensive snaps for the Giants, those in Week 2 against Washington, and just 42 snaps on special teams, those coming in Weeks 1 and 2. He’s been inactive for the last two weeks.