There is a reason why New York Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt’s role has dwindled to almost nothing over his three professional seasons. It was never more obvious than on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium with Jameis Winston and Big Blue’s offense 14 yards from punching in a game-tying touchdown against the favored Green Bay Packers.
On a 3rd-&-6 with 40 seconds to go, Winston had enough time in the pocket thanks to the brilliant work from New York’s offensive line to look for Hyatt, who had two catches for 17 yards on the day after posting just three catches for 18 yards over the first 10 games of the season.
The 24-year-old receiver was supposed to run a corner route toward the left sideline in the end zone, but only got 90% of the way there. He pulled up when he believed he was not open, and Winston’s pass that would have given him a chance to make a play had he finished his route, nestled into the arms of Packers cornerback Evan Williams.
It snuffed out the Giants’ comeback, relegating the team to a fifth-straight loss and another bitter defeat to spoil interim head coach Mike Kafka’s debut at the position following the dismissal of Brian Daboll last week and the first start for the veteran Winston, who stepped in for the concussed Jaxson Dart.
“I think there was a little bit of miscommunication there,” Kafka said on Monday. “Jalin was feeling hurt after the game, just about the result of that. You never want to see the game end like that for us. Our guys battled. Jameis played aggressive, I thought Jalin had some nice plays in terms of stepping up and making a couple catches. Our guys battled all the way through… Just a little miscommunication that we have to get cleaned up there. We’ll be better from it moving forward.”
Winston also opted to take the high road rather than bluntly stating the obvious.
“I believe timing and execution is so important when you’re in crucial moments,” he said. “When defenses see routes, you and the receiver have to be elite in timing and execution. I believe Jalin and I, our timing and execution could have been a lot better.”
Giants legend Amani Toomer, who sits atop the franchise’s leaderboard in receptions, touchdowns, and receiving touchdowns, helped cement that Winston’s pick rested largely on Hyatt’s shoulders.
“As a corner route… in my experience, I’ve never run a corner route as an option,” Toomer said on the Giants’ postgame show on MSG Network. “If you run a corner route and the quarterback is expecting you to run a corner route, even if you’re not open, you have to run the route just to break up the pass. The reason why they’re on defense is because they can’t catch. You have to go over there and do anything to distract them from making that catch.”
Route-running issues have plagued Hyatt since he was drafted by the Giants in the third round back in 2023. His explosive-play capabilities as a speedy threat on the outside are undeniable, but the technical aspect of the passing game at the pro level has eluded him.
He went from 23 receptions for 373 yards in his rookie season to just eight catches on 19 targets in 16 games last year. This year, he has been targeted just 13 times.
Toomer was adamant that this was not all on him. For a Giants team that has gone nowhere over the last three seasons, this was the perfect time to iron out some of those growing pains.
“He hasn’t played a lot of football… those are things you learn over being on the field,” Toomer said. “He hasn’t had the opportunity to be on the field, so it’s kind of stunted his growth as a player.”
There is no indication that he will get that playing time with the Giants. Isaiah Hodgins appears to be the new WR1 for the rest of the season after leading the team with five catches and 57 yards in his team debut on Sunday. Once Darius Slayton returns from a hamstring injury to join Wan’Dale Robinson, Hyatt is at best a No. 4 receiver for the rest of the season. Once Malik Nabers is back and Schoen addresses the lack of weapons in the receiver room, there will be no place for the maligned pass-catcher.
