EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Jalin Hyatt has experienced much change in the last few months – including this week.
With the conclusion of training camp, the Giants' rookie wide receiver has a new uniform number – 13 after wearing No. 84 since his arrival. He also has a new locker and in a prime location, between quarterback Daniel Jones and eight-year veteran wideout Sterling Shepard. Both the number and locker previously belonged to David Sills, who was released yesterday.
Hyatt wore No. 11 at the University of Tennessee, but the Giants retired that jersey in 1995 to honor Phil Simms. The Giants' most prominent recent No. 13 was wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr., the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
"It was no problem (with No. 84)," Hyatt said. "I was trying to decide which one I wanted. If I wanted to stick with 84 or try to do something different, but I decided 13.
"There's no story behind it. I just want to start my own legacy with it and do my best for the Giants in number 13."
Hyatt met Beckham – who is fourth in Giants history with 390 receptions – during the pre-draft process in Arizona, where they were both working out.
"I was surprised he knew who I was," Hyatt said. "It shows a lot of love that he has for the Giants. A lot of respect for him.
"What he did here – had a great career with the Giants and kind of took over. I was a fan when I was young watching him. High school, college, and now being here, but just with the jersey number, it's just one of those things I wanted to start my own legacy. I like low numbers, and if I had to choose a number it'd be 11, but it's retired here, so can't go with that one, so 13 would be the next option."
More importantly than Hyatt's jersey number is his production. He has improved dramatically since arriving in May and has convinced himself and others he can be an integral component in the Giants' passing attack.
"I think he's made a ton of progress and worked really hard to do it," quarterback Daniel Jones said. "So, a large credit to him and how he's gone about his work. He's made a tremendous amount of progress showing up throughout camp making plays. We'll continue to work toward improving all together. He's in a good spot."
Hyatt can gauge how far he's come by watching practice tape.
"I've seen a lot of growth," he said. "It starts with the guys you go against in practice every day. We have some great competitors here. It starts with your habits; I've learned some good habits here, and it starts with being in the film room more with DJ (Jones) and just trying to connect with everything and try to get a rhythm for myself and get comfortable just in the playbook and in this offense and do whatever they need me to do. So, a ton of growth since day one."
And he's just getting started.
View photos from the first practice following the initial 53-man roster announcement.
*Carlos "Boogie" Basham was eating breakfast in Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Tuesday when he received word the Buffalo Bills had traded him to the Giants.
"Had to make that quick transition to come out here yesterday," said Basham, an outside linebacker who is entering this third NFL season. "It's kind of like a world shock, never been through it before. But like I said, I'm always willing to change, definitely (have) to come out here and work, put the work in each and every day. That's what I'm bringing to it."
The Giants received Basham and a 2025 seventh-round draft choice from Buffalo in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick. He joins a group of outside backers that includes Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari and Jihad Ward.
"We've got to get him out here and see what he can do," coach Brian Daboll said. "He ran a different system, a 4-3 system at Buffalo with his hand in the ground, defensive end. But he's 275 pounds. He's a thick body. We'll ask him to do the same stuff that all of our outside backers do."
Basham, 25, was Buffalo's second-round draft choice, No. 61 overall, in 2021. Giants general manager Joe Schoen was the Bills' assistant G.M. when they chose Basham.
In two seasons, Basham played in 23 regular-season and four postseason games. He totaled 37 tackles (20 solo), 4.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, one interception and one fumble recovery in the regular season and 11 tackles (seven solo) and 2.0 sacks in the playoffs. Basham had 20.5 sacks in 45 games at Wake Forest.
*The Giants announced the first 12 members of their 16-player practice squad. Each of them was released by the team yesterday.
Four of them are veterans: Wide receiver Cole Beasley, linebacker Oshane Ximines, tackle Tyre Phillips, and cornerback Amani Oruwariye. Teams are permitted a maximum of six veterans on their practice squad.
Joining them are quarterback Tommy DeVito; tight end Ryan Jones; defensive tackle Ryder Anderson; linebackers Darrian Beavers, Tomon Fox and Dyontae Johnson; and defensive backs Alex Cook and Gemon Green.
The larger and more experienced practice squad provides each team with players who can join the active roster and help more quickly.
"The practice squad has evolved to where there are some players that you know are going to be ready to go right away that have played in football games, that know the system, that you can put in right away," Daboll said. "And there's other players that maybe aren't ready quite yet to play in a regular-season game, but you think there's something to develop. So, there's a couple of different categories of players that are on our practice squad, all of which we think can help contribute, just probably in different roles right now.
"I think it's good. The more guys you can have out here, and again, there's injuries, there's a bunch of stuff that happens, so to me, it's just really an extension of the roster."
*Daboll, who was asked if the Giants' 53-man roster is "fluid," said, "It'll probably be fluid all year."
*Players not practicing at all or fully today included running back Gary Brightwell, wide receiver Parris Campbell, tight end Lawrence Cager, linebacker Cam Brown, and defensive backs Cor'Dale Flott, Nick McCloud, Bobby McCain and Gervarrius Owens.
View photos of every move made by the Giants during the 2023 cycle.
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