rodarius williams

New York Giants among teams monitoring the cornerback market

by
New York Giants, Dave Gettleman

Cornerback looked like one of the stronger positions for the New York Giants coming into 2021, but that hasn’t turned out the case. While the secondary was one of the key parts of a 2020 defense that finished in the top ten, the Giants have struggled more at the position this year. There’s multiple reasons, including James Bradberry looking a lot worse in coverage and Adoree’ Jackson not making as much of a splash as expected.

The Giants were also dealt a blow more recently when rookie corner Rodarius Williams joined the list of injured players. Unlike some of the other players that are only out for a matter of weeks, Williams is out for the season after tearing his ACL. Despite being drafted in the sixth round, Williams had upended other players with more experience such as Darnay Holmes in the fight for the third corner spot.

For all of these reasons, the Giants are said to be among the teams looking for another cornerback. The news was reported by Jeremy Fowler, who listed the Giants with multiple other teams that are currently monitoring the market.

Several teams have actively monitored the cornerback market in recent months, including the Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, Houston Texans and New York Giants. The position has only grown in importance because of injuries across the league.

With that being said, the Giants appear like more of a selling team than a buying team right now.

Despite a brief turnaround in week 4, injuries are only cementing the fact that the season looks over at this point in October. The Giants are unlikely to save their season by giving away resources in a trade, but GM Dave Gettleman may attempt it anyway knowing that his job is on the line right now.

As time runs out for the Giants to win with their current roster, it’s starting to look like shipping off players like Bradberry is more likely than bringing in help by giving more up – and the Giants might not be able to pay for it even if they wanted to, thanks to their rough salary cap situation.

Gettleman has hardly been easy to predict, however. If no one believes the Giants will make such a move, that may just be when they surprise us for better or worse.

New York Giants: Rookie CB Rodarius Williams bounced back in second preseason game

by
new york giants, rodarius williams

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:

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.

New York Giants: Roster bubble players to watch closely in preseason

by
david sills, new york giants

The New York Giants play their first preseason game of the season tonight at 7:30 pm against the New York Jets. Joe Judge and the Giants plan on treating this preseason game as a traditional fourth preseason game. This means that the starters will barely play (if they even play at all) and the backups will receive the majority share of snaps.

Tonight’s game gives the Giants fans and front office a chance to analyze the players fighting for a spot on the roster. Some of these players are on the bubble and pushing for a spot on the final roster this year. But these players, like David Sills, Rodarius Williams, and Gary Brightwell, will need to perform well in the preseason to earn their spots.

David Sills V

Third-year wide receiver David Sills V has turned heads this summer with numerous impressive practice performances. Sills was a tremendous wide receiver in college at WVU. He totaled 33 receiving touchdowns in his final two collegiate seasons before going undrafted in 2019. David Sills has been with the Giants since September of 2019 after he was waived by the Buffalo Bills that August.

In 2020, David Sills was having an impressive summer practicing with the Giants. Unfortunately, he was not able to play in the regular season, as he suffered a foot fracture that landed him on IR and out for the year. One year later, David is once again having a phenomenal training camp.

David Sills spent the entire 2021 offseason following quarterback Daniel Jones across the country to train for this season. His hard work seems to have paid off as David has looked like a true receiving threat, making plays against the first-team in practice with the Giants. Still, there are a lot of talented wide receivers on the Giants’ roster, some that can contribute on special teams. If David Sills V wants to win a spot on the roster, he is going to have to put together some strong performances in the preseason.

Rodarius Williams

Like David Sills, Rodarius Williams has been popping off at training camp practices. The Giants drafted Rodarius Williams in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Rodarius is the older brother of Cleveland Browns’ cornerback, Greedy Williams. Williams is a press-man corner who exudes confidence. He has the physicality to counteract big-body pass-catchers outside the numbers. He also finished his college career with 150 tackles (35 stops) and allowed just 54.2% of the pass targets against him to be completed for 1,636 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Giants have plenty of talented defensive backs on their roster. But Rodarius Williams has been a pleasant surprise through camp and looks like he could sneak his way onto the back-end of the roster. With a couple of solid performances in the preseason, Rodarius Williams could secure a spot on the final roster.

Gary Brightwell

Running back Gary Brightwell is another player that the Giants drafted in the sixth round of this year’s NFL Draft. The Giants added a lot of depth at running back this offseason as Saquon Barkley prepares to return from his knee injury. Gary Brightwell, however, now seems to be buried pretty deep on the team’s depth chart.

The former Arizona Wildcat has an uphill battle to make the final roster. He has not played much in practice due to some nagging injury problems. But with an impressive string of preseason performances, Gary Brightwell could make his presence felt and give himself a chance at the fifty-three-man roster. The backups are expected to see plenty of playing time on Saturday against the Jets. This is the game for Gary Brightwell to show out and put his name back in the running.

Giants’ rookie corner leaving big impression as he looks to steal roster spot

by
new york giants, rodarius williams

With several units struggling with injuries, one group has been standing out during practice for the New York Giants. The secondary, who have worked all off-season together to improve their chemistry and fundamentals, are dominating thus far in camp. Ranging from veterans to rookies, they’re working off one another and taking to coaching well.

One player who has made an impact is Oklahoma State rookie Rodarius Williams, who was a sixth-round pick in the most recent draft. Williams is a 6’0”, 195-pound man coverage corner who relies on physicality and instincts in coverage.

During practice on Friday, Williams recorded an interception and pass break up, which was intercepted by Jabrill Peppers, featuring with the first team. Veteran Adoree’ Jackson took the day to heal and rest after a string of physical practices. While William showed out in a big way, he knows there’s a lot more work left to do.

I’m definitely not where I want to be, but we definitely take it each day at a time and getting better. Each day, I go in the film room and I don’t only watch the good plays, I watch every play that my technique is bad and stuff like that. There’s mental errors. Just learning from (CB) James (Bradberry) and learning from (CB) Adoree’ (Jackson), small technique issues that I’m working on every day.

Veteran corner James Bradberry spoke about Williams and his adaptation to the NFL:

“I think he has a lot of skill. Now, it’s just him getting adjusted to the speed of the NFL and also learning the system. Once he learns the system, I think he’ll be able to play even faster,” Bradberry said of Williams, who already has an interception in camp.

Williams has the internal flame to become a contributor during his rookie season, and he’s not letting opportunities pass him by:

It just put a fire inside me competitively and I think every DB had the same fire underneath their butt in the room. We’re a deep group, so everybody is looking for their one opportunity. Every day, I just show up and take advantage of whatever opportunity I get. I’m in Coach’s ear like, ‘Coach, I’m ready.’ Whenever my moment comes, I’m going to take advantage of it.

The Giants have an extremely deep secondary, as Williams is simply looking to land a spot on the active roster. He will have to find a way to make an impact on special teams and impress Joe Judge, potentially as a gunner on the punt unit.
If he can use his speed and athleticism in that fashion, he can improve his chance of securing a spot on the roster, but simply having a few good days at training camp isn’t enough to guarantee his stay. He’s competing with players like Isaac Yiadom, Madre Harper, Jarren Williams, and Sam Beal for a spot. This is one of the more overlooked position battles on the team, but Williams making the headlines is undoubtedly a good sign of his performance.

New York Giants: Two secondary members that may be training camp cuts

by
rodarius williams, new york giants

The New York Giants have a lot of new additions, and they won’t be able to enter the 2021 season with everyone that they had on the roster last year. There just isn’t enough space, and both old and new players are in danger of becoming cuts during training camp and the preseason.

One of the most competitive spots is the secondary. There’s both new talent here and a lot of names returning, meaning the Giants will have a lot of options when deciding who gets time in the rotation. But which players are in danger of not making the final 90 man roster at all?

Sam Beal

One of the obvious names on the hot seat is Sam Beal. Of course, not all of it is his fault. He hasn’t had the start to his career that any player would ask for. Injury threw Beal off course for his first couple of seasons but the Giants have had enough faith in his potential to keep him around.

However, Beal only has 26 total tackles in the NFL even after getting over his injuries. He opted out of last season entirely, so there’s no body of work from 2020 to use when judging his play.

He also plead guilty in a gun case last week which places him on probation until 2022, and while it seems like he’s out of hot water legally for now, there’s no telling whether or not that will affect the Giants’ judgement when it comes to making a decision on him.

All in all, Beal has been around for a while and hasn’t done much for the Giants. He’ll really have to work to prove himself this offseason if he doesn’t want to end up with the players cut to save space, mainly for the simple reason that he’s showed little on the field progression for various reasons despite being with the Giants for years. Some of it isn’t his fault, but that doesn’t change the situation at hand.

Rodarius Williams

Supposedly, Rodarius Williams is a player with upside.

That may be true, but he’s still a sixth round draft pick at the end of the day. The Giants decided to bet on his potential and select him, but they aren’t tied to the pick like they would be in the case of a higher drafted player.

If Williams doesn’t make the roster, it may not be through fault of his own. Between Isaac Yiadom, new signing Joshua Kalu, Darnay Holmes, the aforementioned Beal, and fellow rookie Aaron Robinson, there’s a lot of names competing for a limited amount of spots at cornerback.

The Giants have enough talent at the position that they probably aren’t going to keep every player at the position right now on the 90 man roster.

All in all, it means that Williams will have to adapt his aggressive playing style to the NFL quickly and perform well in training camp, to prove to the coaching staff that he deserves a spot over a more established player despite his low draft status.

Did the New York Giants land a steal with CB Rodarius Williams in the 6th round?

by
rodarius williams, new york giants

Over the years, the New York Giants have found their fair share of quality late-round draft picks, extracting value from rounds that often times produce very little production. Ranging from Ahmad Bradshaw to Victor Cruz, an undrafted free agent, most teams are comprised of late-round selections, and it’s just a matter of finding that diamond in the rough that can change the course of a team forever.

During the 2019 NFL draft, the Giants used all four of their seventh-round picks, electing to stick around instead of trading up and pairing them together. In 2020, the philosophy changed a bit, as they didn’t have a single seventh-round pick but had a few mid-rounders that could end up paying dividends.

One player who the Giants landed was Oklahoma State corner Rodarius Williams, a 25-year-old defensive back who was selected 201st overall.

Some might look at Rodarius and see his age, which is lofty for a player coming out of college. However, he has the integral experience and the physicality to match up against NFL players immediately.

“His maturity is a huge asset,” Jim Knowles, the DC at Oklahoma State, told Giants.com. “He’s a little bit older than a normal rookie. It’s definitely a plus because he has been through a lot in his life. He’s overcome a lot personally, and I have seen his growth. I knew he had the talent from the beginning, but I have seen his growth as a mature young man who understands life and what it takes to succeed and the work that needs to go in. That lightbulb went on, so you’re getting a guy who is ready-made and prepared to handle being a professional.”

Empire Sports Media spoke to Rodarius, as he was not only motivated to take his talents to the next level, but was committed to climbing the roster ladder in hopes of seeing playing time at some point.

How can the New York Giants activate Williams immediately?

There is a fair chance that William starts his career as a gunner on the punt team, given his superior athleticism and straightaway speed. As the older brother to Greedy Williams, the Cleveland Browns second-round pick in 2019, it is clear he comes from a football family. His durability and intensity are what make him a quality player, and with the physicality to play man coverage and catch-up to speedy receivers downfield, he fits the new Giants’ scheme quite well.

Despite the Giants having a crowd of defensive backs room, you can never have too many quality players at one position, as general manager Dave Gettleman would say. Since Williams is on a four-year rookie deal, it will be exciting to see how he progresses through the system and if he can earn playing time in the future. At the very least, he can make an impact on special teams immediately in 2021.

New York Giants: Rodarius Williams’ college DC explains what Giants are getting

by
rodarius williams, new york giants

New York Giants sixth round draft pick Rodarius Williams might go under the radar at first glance. Not only is the sixth round an unglamorous spot to be drafted in, but Williams is entering one of the most talented parts of the team. The Giants have already expanded the secondary, after all, with the big name addition of Adoree’ Jackson. However, there’s some that think the Giants are getting a good value with the selection.

Unsurprisingly, one of those people is Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. He’s familiar with some of the other draft picks in Giants history, having been on the staff at Ole Miss when Eli Manning was there as well as the Duke staff during the Daniel Jones era. Unlike with Manning or Jones, however, Knowles has the experience of coaching Rodarius Williams directly as a defensive coordinator.

While speaking with Big Blue Kickoff Live, Knowles claimed that there’s something that sets Williams apart from other DBs.

“That happens to a lot of DBs – where they’re in great position, but at the end of the route, there’s that little bit of flinch, that trip, that slip. He has the ability to play through the hands to the end of the play,” Knowles said on Williams.

“He has a very calm demeanor, and that’s what you want out of a corner. He’s very calm, very confident, never loses his composure. When you have a guy like that who has the skill but he [also] has that intensity and focus to finish the play, I think you’ve got a good player.”

During his redshirt senior season, Williams only allowed nine completions and had seven pass breakups. He was named to the second team All-Big 12 for his efforts.

Entering a crowded New York Giants secondary

Williams won’t just have to deal with the usual pressures of entering the NFL. He’s also joining a team that has an especially deep secondary this season.

The Giants are bringing back James Bradberry after last season proved his wroth as a star member of the secondary, and the other side of the field will undoubtedly be manned by Adoree’ Jackson. Unlike last season, there will be less intrigue around the second cornerback spot barring injury to Bradberry or Jackson.

Further down the depth chart, Darnay Holmes is another returning name that will have the advantage of NFL experience. After being drafted in the fourth round last year, Holmes had a respectable 30 tackles with one interception and a fumble recovery. He’ll come into this season looking to build on that and protect his spot in the rotation.

The Giants also drafted another corner ahead of Williams when they took UCF’s Aaron Robinson in the third round. And Sam Beal, who opted out of last season and has less NFL experience than he should due to injuries, is still on the roster.

With a sizable amount of competition, some might wonder if Williams will even make the roster after being taken in the sixth round. That is a challenge, and the Giants aren’t afraid to move on from draft picks quickly if they aren’t panning out.

However, we can safely say there probably is some potential in Williams if he can brave this gauntlet and make it into the season on the 90 man roster.

New York Giants have plenty of depth in talented secondary

by
New York Giants, James Bradberry, logan ryan

The New York Giants had a top-ten defense in the NFL last season. New York’s defense won with a strong interior of defensive linemen and a dynamic secondary full of young, talented defensive backs. There should be more of the same in 2021.

The Giants doubled down this offseason and made some upgrades in their already top-tier secondary. They made a splash signing in free agency this offseason, inking outside cornerback Adoree’ Jackson to a three-year, $39 million deal. This move potentially gave the Giants another elite starting cornerback opposite of James Bradberry.

But the New York Giants are no longer top-heavy in the secondary. They do not just have talented starters in their secondary. The Giants now have a secondary with talented depth.

Depth in the Giants’ secondary

The safeties

The New York Giants have a talented trio of safeties that will see significant playing time this season. Jabrill Peppers and Logan Ryan will build on what they started last season as the starting safeties. Ryan, that rangy ball-hawking free safety, and Peppers, that tough run-defending box safety. But the Giants also have Xavier McKinney entering his second season in the NFL. McKinney provides a nice blend of skills that would help him thrive in the box or in deep coverage. Expect to see the Giants run a lot of three safety sets this season to maximize the talent on their roster.

Julian Love will be the Giants’ depth piece for the safeties. Love got starting experience in his rookie 2019 season when Jabrill Peppers went down with an injury. Love was impressive and established himself as a perfect utility player for the Giants’ defense. Julian will provide depth in the Giants’ secondary as a safety, but he also has the skills and experience to fill in at slot and outside cornerback, too.

The outside cornerbacks

James Bradberry and Adoree’ Jackson could be one of the elite cornerback duos in the NFL this season. Bradberry played at an elite level last season, breaking up a career-high 18 passes with 3 interceptions and his first-career Pro Bowl selection. Jackson, however, barely saw the field in 2020.

Adoree’ dealt with a knee injury last season that kept him sidelined most of the year. This was his second significant injury in two years. Adoree’ Jackson is one of the best outside cornerbacks in the NFL when he is healthy. Since 2018, Jackson has the fourth-highest coverage grade when lined up outside according to Pro Football Focus with a grade of 85.6. But his injury history does motivate the Giants to load up on depth behind him.

The Giants still have Isaac Yiadom on their roster. There were times where Yiadom was a liability in the Giants’ secondary last season. Isaac Yiadom might not be capable of being a full-time starting corner, but he does have experience and familiarity with the Giants’ scheme, making him a quality depth piece.

In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Giants once again prioritized the secondary. They drafted two cornerbacks this year: Aaron Robinson out of UCF and Rodarius Williams out of Oklahoma State. Robinson is likely to compete for the starting nickel corner position, but he has the versatility to contribute on the outside as well.

Rodarius Williams, though, is an outside cornerback that will begin his career as a quality backup. Williams forced 30 incompletions in his career (PFF). He has the aggression to play press-man on the outside, something of which the Giants want to do a lot more. Williams is a high-character, quality guy that will enter the Giants locker room. Check out our exclusive interview with him here.

Slot cornerbacks

The Giants are bound to have a competition at slot cornerback this summer. Darnay Holmes looked impressive in that role as a rookie in 2020. But New York added another slot corner in this year’s draft, Aaron Robinson. The two corners are both physical and have a knack for getting their hands on the football.

Regardless of who gets the start in the slot, the Giants have a good problem on their hands. They have two talented players that might be deserving of a starting role. That means that they have a lot of talent at the slot cornerback position and, of course, quality depth.

The Giants know the importance of having depth in the secondary. When Darnay Holmes and James Bradberry were both absent against the Cleveland Browns last season it was a long night on the field for New York. Baker Mayfield had his way with the Giants’ defense during that primetime matchup. Now the Giants have a deep secondary filled with young playmakers on the defensive side of the ball.

New York Giants land Oklahoma State CB Rodarius Williams with 201st pick

by
rodarius williams, new york giants

Surprisingly, the New York Giants completely passed on the offensive line crop in the 2021 NFL draft, but they did walk away with several fantastic players to work with. After drafting running back Gary Brightwell with the 196th overall pick, the Giants found themselves in a position to land Oklahoma State CB Rodarius Williams at 201.

Williams is the brother of Greedy Williams, a former high-round draft pick that went to the Cleveland Browns out of LSU. A long, aggressive tackler, his brother Rodarius spend his career with Oklahoma State and is a perfect special teams candidate in his rookie season under head coach Joe Judge.

As a rangy corner with solid athleticism, he has solid straight-away speed and tackling aggression, which makes him perfect for a gunner role on the punt unit to start his career.

He’s not much of a quick-twitch corner who can react at a high level, but he does have solid football IQ and gets himself in good positions to make plays. Thanks to poor quarterback play, he was able to undercut routes and contest underthrown 50/50 balls with his decent height at 6-feet.

I like Williams as a developmental pick who can contribute to special teams right away, but that’s about as far as I see his career taking him in the earlier years. However, he has some fantastic names ahead of him like James Bradberry and Adoree Jackson to show him the ropes.