Sam Beal, the cornerback prospect the New York Giants rolled the dice on in last year’s NFL Supplemental Draft, is finally ready to get his professional football career cracking.

The former Western Michigan star who the Giants burned a 2019 third-round selection on is back from the injured reserve list and hopes to join the team’s other young defensive backs in forming the secondary of the future.

“I actually didn’t think it was going to be this long, to be honest,” Beal said of his stint on IR. “I haven’t really dealt with a hamstring before. So, I’m thinking, ‘Okay, maybe just like a little cramp or something. I’ll deal with it.’ But it wouldn’t go away. So, you just have to deal with it as it comes.”

It was the second year in a row Beal found himself on IR. Last year, he needed surgery on his injured shoulder and did not receive the green light to return. This year, the Giants are hoping to activate him by Week 9. That is, if he’s healthy.

“Excited,” Beal told reporters after practice on Wednesday. “You’re always anxious. Just a little anxious, because you haven’t been out there in a while. You just want to see how you’re moving, see how it really feels. But I felt great.”

Just like last year when Beal couldn’t practice, he again dedicated himself to studying the defense and staying as close to the team as possible.

“I haven’t missed a meeting,” Beal said. “Just being in there, paying attention and staying locked in. Coach is always speaking to us, keeping us all on the same track. Staying on the right page, taking the right notes, I’ll be right on pace with the rest of the guys.”

“He’s moving well, he’s moving good,” said veteran cornerback Janoris Jenkins. “That’s a good thing, that’s a positive. He’s getting into the rotation out there. I just wanted to see him work. Today was the first day, I hope he keeps it going and we’re just going to move forward.”

Beal has heard the criticism and perhaps even read in places that the Giants could turn the page on him if he didn’t get on the field soon. He is confident he can become a valuable part of the Giants’ defense and was asked if he has a bigger ship on his shoulder after waiting a season and a half to start his Giants career.

“I think it’s more than a chip now,” he said. “That crack got a little bigger. It’s just like a hole. I’ll fill it in.”