With star wide receiver Malik Nabers officially set to miss the rest of the 2025 season with a torn ACL injury, the New York Giants will need to add another WR, and one affordable reunion makes a ton of sense.
“We’ll spend a lot of time discussing possible WR additions, but the obvious immediate move is to sign Isaiah Hodgins off the [Pittsburgh] Steelers’ practice squad,” The Athletic’s Dan Duggan noted on Monday, September 29. And it’s a smart call by Duggan.
In midseason injury situations like these, coaching staffs generally defer to players they know for two reasons. One, that player is already familiar with your playbook and system, even if it’s undergone some changes. And two, you know what type of teammate and person you are bringing into the building.
Hodgins has long been a favorite of head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. After starting out his career as an undrafted rookie with the Buffalo Bills, Schoen and Daboll, Hodgins eventually followed them to New Jersey after the Giants claimed him off waivers in 2022.
He then chipped in for 33 receptions and 351 yards, not to mention 4 touchdowns, over an 8-game stretch.
Hodgins spent the entire 2023 campaign with the Giants, too, but was less impactful as a wide receiver. He finished with 21 receptions for 230 yards and 3 touchdowns over 17 appearances.
In 2024, Hodgins was relegated to the practice squad. The veteran was elevated for a few outings, but didn’t get much usage overall. He left the organization for an opportunity in San Francisco in January of 2025.
Hodgins has yet to appear in a regular season game in 2025, beginning the campaign with the Steelers’ practice squad.
Giants Can Sign WR Isaiah Hodgins on the Cheap
Aside from his built-in knowledge of the Giants and the coaching staff, the other positive about bringing in Hodgins is that he’s cheap.
Big Blue would only have to offer Hodgins a vet minimum deal and a spot on the 53-man roster. This could be Nabers’ spot for now.
In the event they do that, the Steelers would then have to decide if they want to offer Hodgins a spot on their 53. In all likelihood, since Pittsburgh has yet to elevate Hodgins, they would let him go.
As Duggan aptly stated, that makes Hodgins a very plausible “immediate” addition at wide receiver. The Giants could also give more playing time to recent draft pick Jalin Hyatt or 2025 UDFA standout Beaux Collins.
Both have not seen much of the field early in 2025, with Nabers, Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson dominating the early-season snap count.
Giants News Confirms Malik Nabers’ Injury Is a Torn ACL
The bad news came in just before noon on Monday, as ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter confirmed Nabers has torn his ACL.
“An MRI today confirmed that Giants standout WR Malik Nabers suffered a season-ending torn ACL during Sunday’s game vs. the [Los Angeles] Chargers, per source,” Schefter relayed on X.
He added that “prior to his knee injury, Malik Nabers had 127 catches in his first two NFL seasons, [which was the] second most catches by any player in his first 20 games behind only Odell Beckham Jr., who had 141.”
While this is the worst-case scenario for the Giants, unfortunately, as Daboll voiced after the game on September 28, it’s now “next man up.”
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