The scene is the same before every Giants practice: Dee Williams is the first player onto the field to drill his footwork and say a quick prayer.
Here’s another scene that is becoming just as common at training camp: Williams making plays once the ball is in the air.
The second-year cornerback recently was bumped into the first-team rotation after a two-interception practice with the third-stringers.
“It’s the best,” Williams said. “Everybody has a different way of letting God guide them through a journey.”
The Seahawks cut the undrafted rookie Williams the day before his 25th birthday last December.
He was claimed off waivers by the Giants, which gave him a slight head start on acclimating for 2025 under returning defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.
“It was a crazy experience,” Williams told The Post. “You get in the headspace for a second of thinking, ‘My career is over.’ But I was blessed that I got another opportunity.”
Self-doubt crept back into Williams’ mind in the spring and at the start of training camp when he was buried on the depth chart. It’s disappeared now.
“Early on, I was lacking confidence a little bit in myself — just having all these thoughts of ‘Do I belong here? Am I meant to be here?’ that come with frustration,” Williams said. “And these last couple weeks, I’ve been building confidence day by day.
“I’m not surprised that I’ve made plays. It all comes with being patient and believing in myself. Just sticking with it when you have bad days and get in your head like, ‘How can I have this type of day?’ I live page by page.”
The depth chart at outside cornerback is wide open behind Paulson Adebo, Cor’Dale Flott and Deonte Banks. Nothing is stopping Williams from gaining on Tre Hawkins and Art Green.
“I want my teammates to be successful even if I’m not out there with them,” Williams said, “but I want them to realize I’m a playmaker, too.”
The quiet and respectful Williams uses his pre-practice silent moment to express gratitude, to ask to avoid injury and to promise to learn from his mistakes when he is tested. If there’s time, he’s signing autographs for kids, too.
“The guys that are doing good work and making plays,” head coach Brian Daboll said, “they’re going to get more opportunity to show what they can do.”
Daboll was noncommittal on whether starters will play Saturday against the Bills.
One year ago, the Giants played starters in the second preseason game but not the first.
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But circumstances were different because there were joint practices before the opener and not before the second game. The schedule is reversed this August.
RG Greg Van Roten returned from a two-practice absence while on excused paternity leave and stepped back in with the starters at right guard in Monday’s first walk-through period.
RB Jonathan Ward (22 career carries) and LB K.J. Cloyd, who was with the Giants last preseason, signed to roster spots vacated by LB Ty Summers (season-ending injured reserve) and RB Rushawn Baker (waived/injured).