On January 23, club reporter Dan Salomone of the New York Giants reported the acquisitions of wide receiver Chase
Cota and center Jimmy Morrissey as reserve/future players. If all goes as planned, these prospects will compete
throughout training camp the following summer for a position on the practice squad or roster.
Cota, a 2023 undrafted rookie for the Detroit Lions, is the main attraction here. The 6-foot-4 pass-catcher must have
drawn head coach Brian Daboll’s attention during the preseason even if he hasn’t played in a regular season game
yet.
In a preseason victory over the Giants, Cota “led Detroit with 4 catches for 60 yards,” according to reporter Pat
Leonard of the New York Daily News. After that, the young player played most of his 2023 season with the practice
squad of the Kansas City Chiefs before concluding his career with the Houston Texans.
Remember that there are three playoff-bound teams in that group this year, so from the Giants’ standpoint, Cota is
certainly worth a look.
In terms of Morrissey, the 25-year-old center was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the seventh round in 2021,
although he has played most of his career for the Texans. Throughout his 14 NFL games, he has played 318 offensive
snaps and 25 special team snaps.
Cota transferred to Oregon after four seasons of collegiate playing at UCLA. Over that five-year period in the PAC-12,
he caught 103 passes for 1,380 yards and nine receiving touchdowns, according to Sports Reference CFB.
The wide receiver’s final season with Oregon, in which he caught 36 passes for 497 yards and three scores, was his
best. He also had a brief stint at Oregon as a punt returner, returning one for 15 yards.
Later, Cota tried out for the same position in Detroit, where on his lone preseason tryout with the Lions, he actually
scored a 28-yard return.
With Gunner Olszewski, the 2023 punt returner, scheduled to become a free agency once more in March, it’s feasible
that the Giants will investigate a few returning possibilities this spring. If Cota plays well, this NYG flier could end up
being a win-win for the 90-man roster because Big Blue could also use extra wide receiver depth.
Before the 2024 offseason begins, Daboll and company will undoubtedly need help as wide out. The Giants may
decide to address the position right away in the draft, as some analysts have Washington’s Rome Odunze and LSU’s
Malik Nabers at No. 6 and No. 6, respectively.
Investing a large sum of money on a genuine WR1 is an alternative. One proposal was directed at Michael Pittman
Jr., a budding star for the Indianapolis Colts.
In either case, Jalin Hyatt and Wan’Dale Robinson, two recent draft selections, should be the cornerstones of this
wide receiver group. It is not advisable to consider the rest of this group safe, especially Darius Slayton, who could
end up as a cap victim.
Behind them, this spring will see the free agency of depth wide outs Isaiah Hodgins, Sterling Shepard, Parris
Campbell, and the aforementioned Olszewski. It’s uncertain which of the four will show up again, but it’s safe to
assume that Shepard and Campbell will both be leaving.
This gives the Giants the opportunity to make some significant improvements at the position. Wide receivers should
have a strong draft class in 2024, and there are also a lot of good free agent alternatives. Now is the time for general
manager Joe Schoen and head coach Dan Daboll to start rearranging this roster.
