This is what Bryce Ford-Wheaton deserved last season.
Almost exactly one year later, his journey back is complete.
Ford-Wheaton signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent last year out of West Virginia.
After a strong training camp and preseason, he emerged as a likelihood to earn a spot on at least the practice squad, if not the active roster as one of the last receivers.
But Ford-Wheaton tore his ACL during the Giants’ final preseason game, a 33-24 loss to the Jets on Aug. 26, 2023, and missed the entire season.
A year and one day later, Ford-Wheaton found out Tuesday that he had made the team as the Giants trimmed down to their 53-player roster.
“I’m willing to do anything,” Ford-Wheaton told The Post after practice Wednesday. “I feel like that’s kind of the reason why I made the team. We have a whole bunch of highly talented receivers in the room that were drafted, so what they won’t do is something that I will do. That’s kind of my role right now. When my number is called, it’s going in there and doing my job.”
The decision to keep Ford-Wheaton, 24, came somewhat as a surprise.
He notably made the team over veterans Allen Robinson and Isaiah Hodgins, both of whom — particularly Robinson — have way more of a body of work than Ford-Wheaton.
But Ford-Wheaton also plays special teams, which gave him an edge over Robinson and Hodgins, who do not.
Listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Ford-Wheaton is the biggest receiver on the roster by a good margin.
Hodgins, also 6-foot-3, occupied that role the past two years.
He signed back to the Giants practice squad Wednesday.
Did Ford-Wheaton expect to still be here?
“I was nervous, just because you never know,” Ford-Wheaton said. “I thought I had a good chance at it, but you never know. It was in somebody else’s hands. I was sitting there praying a lot, trying to distract myself, playing PlayStation, things like that.”
Ford-Wheaton’s second preseason and training camp was not as eye-popping as his first.
He played in all three preseason games, but recorded just two catches for 11 yards and no touchdowns.
The practice highlights were less frequent. His place in the pecking order was not as clear.
Ford-Wheaton didn’t even have a permanent number. During practice and preseason games, he wore No. 6, which is worn by punter Jamie Gillan, but on Wednesday Ford-Wheaton sported No. 88.
Clearly, he did enough to earn his place. After a one-year delay, his Giants moment is finally here.
“It felt good, because I went through a lot to get to this point,” Ford-Wheaton said. “It was an uphill battle. I’m glad I finally made the team and got a chance to impact the game. … It’s been a hell of a ride.”
