The New York Giants fell to 0-2 in the 2021 preseason after losing to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. However, the focus in the preseason is usually more on the players and their individual performances, rather than the game’s final score. One Giants player that had an impressive individual performance was sixth-round pick Rodarius Williams.
Rodarius Williams is a player that has stood out for the Giants in the summer. The older brother of Cleveland Browns cornerback Greedy Williams has been a training camp standout for the Giants. Earned his way to first-team reps in practice and generated plenty of excitement and support from the fanbase.
Some of those fans were met with disappointment after the Giants’ first preseason game. Rodarius got plenty of playing time against the Jets, but his performance did not make him stand out the way he has in practices. But in the Giants’ second preseason game, Rodarius Williams bounced back against the Browns.
Rodarius Williams in the second preseason game
Rookie cornerback Rodarius Williams’s first preseason game was a struggle. The sixth-round pick out of Oklahoma State was beaten consistently in pass coverage. He did recover a fumble and nearly take it back to the end zone. However, his struggles to defend the Jets’ wide receivers were the main takeaway from that game.
In the Giants’ second preseason game, though, Rodarius bounced back in a major way. Rodarius improved drastically in coverage. Compare Rodarius Williams’s performance from Week One to his performance from Week Two:
- vs. the Jets: Allowed 8 receptions for 99 yards
- vs. the Browns: Allowed 2 receptions for 35 yards, 1 pass breakup
Check out this pass breakup by Rodarius Williams from the Giants’ preseason game:
Rodarius Williams with a very nice rep here against the TE in the slot!
Having himself a MUCH better day than last week #NYG pic.twitter.com/MyP6bIz1qJ
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) August 22, 2021
The Giants are not planning on declaring Rodarius Williams a starter anytime soon, however, they have definitely found themselves a good player in the later rounds. Williams is fighting for a spot on the final 53-man roster. He appears to have a good chance of making it into the regular season. Throughout the summer, Rodarius Williams has proven to be a valuable depth piece at cornerback for the New York Giants.