The New York Giants enter the 2025 season as one of the more interesting teams in the league. General manager Joe Schoen has done a great job adding more talent to a roster that was in desperate need of it. Still, if this were any other year, their outlook would likely look much better, but blessed with the hardest strength of schedule, so things could go off the rails fast.
This is a team that’s seemingly been allergic to the end zone the past couple of seasons. Their offense teetered on unwatchable, and their defense didn’t fare much better. If the G-Men are going to get out of the basement, they’ll need all the help they can get... even if that means addition by subtraction.
After back-to-back difficult seasons, third-year wide receiver Jalin Hyatt needed to show he could stick. It looked like he’d been making some strides this offseason. His early connection with new starting quarterback Russell Wilson felt like something bigger to come — until it didn’t. And thanks to some injury misfortune and a handful of training camp risers, Brian Daboll is running out of reasons to keep Hyatt around.
Jalin Hyatt might be running out of time in New York
When the Giants traded up in the third round of the 2023 draft to select Hyatt, they thought he’d give the offense a vertical weapon. The reigning Biletnikoff Award winner (at the time) was viewed as the perfect fix for the explosive playmaking piece the team had been missing.
He was a barn-burner — someone who could take the top off the defense. Unfortunately, things just haven’t clicked for the 23-year-old. Two years in, the former Tennessee Volunteer has 31 receptions, 435 receiving yards, and exactly zero touchdowns. Not exactly stick-worthy stuff, but it’s hard for teams to give up on players drafted early, especially when the team moves up to take them.
Related: This new version of Jalin Hyatt could be exactly what the Giants needed
But that’s how things are shaking out in East Rutherford... at least for now.
At the beginning of the offseason, it looked like Hyatt might finally break out. Wilson publicly backed him, saying he had untapped potential — potential he was able to pull out of him almost instantly at OTAs. An apparent leg injury put a stop to that progress, and that’s when his slide back into the shadows resumed.
Hyatt’s been in and out of practice since, and that’s not exactly helping his case to move up the depth chart. Unfortunately, he missed an opportunity to showcase his development against the Bills in their first preseason game Saturday, as he was out due to injury.
Two other receivers fighting for roster spots took full advantage of his absence. Both Montrell Washington and Lil’Jordan Humphrey put pressure on Hyatt with their Saturday performances, in addition to their standout camps. Throw in Beaux Collins, who’s been lighting up training camp in his own right (and getting run with the ones), and Hyatt’s grip on a roster spot is slipping.
It would be relatively shocking if the team decided to outright release him. That feels unlikely. But don’t rule out Dabs giving Schoen the green light to go ahead and make some trade calls on the 23-year-old. It might end up being a win-win for both parties.
Between his struggles, durability concerns, questionable fit in the offense, and the emergence of unexpected camp risers, it might be fair to start wondering if Hyatt is on borrowed time. Daboll now has all the ammo he needs to make the move.