'They Knew Our Players!' - GM Brandon Beane on Ex Bills Signing with Giants

Brandon Beane offered a candid answer when it came to the New York Giants claiming former Buffalo Bills players.

When Joe Schoen was hired away from the Buffalo Bills by the New York Giants as their new general manager, it only took a week for the Giants to bring Brian Daboll over as well to fill their head coaching vacancy. 

With those two hires, Bills general manager Brandon Beane knew that their familiarity could lead to the Giants picking up Bills players off waivers. 

“Whenever we cut down our practice squad, we know we can lose guys, but particularly with Joe and Brian moving to New York, they knew our players and so you know it’s going to be harder to get guys through the cracks,” Beane said to NJ Advance Media at the NFL Owners Meetings.

“So I was thinking about it when we made the moves, but if it wasn’t the two guys they got, it would have been a couple of other guys that they would have done the same thing with.”

Of course while Beane had an idea that Daboll and Schoen could scoop up a Bills player from waivers, there was no way he could have known who they would be or how productive they'd be for the Giants. 

The two players picked up? Cornerback Nick McCloud and receiver Isaiah Hodgins, with both playing meaningful snaps for the Giants. 

McCloud was picked up prior to the season, appearing in 14 games for the Giants while starting eight games. In those 14 games he recorded 43 total tackles with seven passes defended. 

As for Hodgins, he was claimed during the season and quickly became one of Daniel Jones' favorite targets. Hodgins appeared in eight regular season games for the Giants, recording 351 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 33 receptions.  

However, his best performance came in the Giants' playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings with 105 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight receptions.

Ultimately the NFL is a business and while it is never easy to let players go, it has to be done. 

For both McCloud and Hodgins, though, it worked out as they are now emerging starters on a Giants team looking to get back to the playoffs for a second straight season, a role that may have been not as easily available for them should they had remained in Buffalo.

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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