NFL roster cuts tracker 2024: Former Oregon State Beavers’ star released by the New York Giants

Isaiah Hodgins couldn’t replicate his start with the New York Giants and now he’s looking for a new team.

The wide receiver was waived Tuesday morning by the Giants, according to multiple reports. The former Oregon State Beavers’ star was one of the early cuts as teams pare their rosters to reach the 53-man limit by Tuesday’s 1 p.m. PT deadline.

Hodgins, 25, was a sixth-round pick (No. 207) by the Buffalo Bills in the 2020 NFL draft. The Giants claimed Hodgins after he was waived by the Buffalo Bills in November 2022 and he immediately made an impact.

Hodgins had 33 catches for 351 yards and four touchdowns in nine games during the regular season in 2022. Hodgins, now a favorite target for quarterback Daniel Jones, caught eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown during the Giants’ 31-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings in a wild card playoff game, becoming just the eighth player in franchise history to post at least 100 receiving yards in a playoff game.

He posted 21 catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games in 2023. However, he started in just nine games and his production diminished as the Giants emphasized speed and quickness at the position. Hodgins’ role in the offense was going to shrink even more after the Giants used their first round pick (No. 6) to select wide receiver Malik Nabors and they re-signed veteran Darius Slayton.

The handwriting was on the wall for Hodgins, who spent the entire training camp and preseason working with the second-team offense. Hodgins does have value as a possession receiver, but he’s not a special teams player, a requirement for players down on the depth chart who hope to remain on the roster.