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Hodgins caught a lot of passes with the first-team offense last week but seems to be the odd man out now that Darius Slayton is at OTAs, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Advice: Slayton, Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson figure to be the top three wide receivers, leaving Hodgins to compete with Jalin Hyatt, Allen Robinson, Isaiah McKenzie and others for depth roles. It's hard to find a roster with more backup WRs that have starting experience in the NFL, but in Hodgins' case, he mostly got that opportunity because the Giants were so thin at his position the past two seasons. Now that they're in better shape -- at least at wide receiver -- he'll head to training camp without assurances of a Week 1 roster spot, after signing a one-year contract that includes only $325,000 guaranteed. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:58 am

Coach Shane Steichen said Thursday that Mitchell is "making a lot of plays" at OTAs, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 the Fan reports.

Advice: It sounds like the rookie second-round pick is getting a lot of first-team reps, in part because top wide receiver Michael Pittman has been out with a minor knee injury. Wearing a No. 10 jersey to signify the number of WRs drafted before him this spring, Mitchell has taken advantage of the early opportunity by catching a number of passes from starting QB Anthony Richardson. Still, it's unclear if Mitchell will head into Week 1 as a depth/rotation receiver or if he'll immediately supplant Alec Pierce as a starter alongside Pittman and slot man Josh Downs. There's also the question of how different that role might look if/when Mitchell replaces Pierce, as the latter was targeted on just 10.2 percent of his routes last year -- easily the the lowest rate in the league among regular starters at wide receiver. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 7:38 am

Mims said things are going "a lot smoother" for him in his second NFL offseason, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports.

Advice: In addition to having a much better understanding of Sean Payton's offense, Mims mentioned that he's "as healthy as I've been in a long time." The 2023 second-round pick was limited by hamstring injuries last spring and summer, though that didn't stop him from having a big impact early in the season, including four receptions of 38 or more yards and a kick-return TD within the first four weeks. While Mims remained effective on special teams apart from a pair of lost fumbles, he had only 135 receiving yards on 22 targets in his 12 appearances after Week 4. The NFL's new kickoff rules figure to make Mims even more important for Denver's special teams this year, and he should also be part of a competition for the No. 2 receiver job opposite Courtland Sutton. If not Mims, it'll likely be Josh Reynolds, Troy Franklin or Tim Patrick (Achilles) stepping up as the No. 2 receiver, though a rotation also is possible. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 7:09 am

Gipson is expected to have competition as New York's primary return specialist heading into the 2024 season, Andy Vasquez of The Bergen Record reports.

Advice: Gipson operated as the Jets' kick returner and punt returner for the entirety of the 2023 season, but with the team signing running back Tarik Cohen on Wednesday, Gipson may not be a shoo-in for the role again in 2024. Head coach Robert Saleh said Wednesday that Gipson will get "first dibs," but the returning job is an "open competition." Rotowire.com Thursday, 4:50 pm

Bucs waived/injured WR Deven Thompkins.

Advice: A 2022 UDFA, under-sized Thompkins caught 17 balls in 17 games last season, so it’s a little surprising to see him cut loose at this stage of the offseason. Heading into his age-25 campaign, 5-foot-8 Thompkins has roughly six weeks to land on someone else’s 90-man roster before training camp. That, of course, will depend on his health. Rotoworld Thursday, 3:50 pm