RJ McIntosh is back where he belongs.

The Giants’ second-year defensive lineman is healthy and ready for a second impression on the football field after spending most of his rookie season in the NFL on the non-football injury list.

"I feel great. I feel healthy. I feel like I’m ready,” he told NJ Advance Media following his first-ever mandatory minicamp practice on Tuesday. “It was a great day, a lot of competing, a lot of reps.”

There were no reps to be had a year ago.

McIntosh missed all of the Giants offseason workouts — rookie minicamp, organized team activities, team minicamp, training camp — as well as the first 13 weeks of the regular season due to an undisclosed illness.

That should not be a concern moving forward.

“No, I don’t think (it’ll pop back up),” McIntosh said of his illness. “With prayer, I pray it doesn’t come back up. It was something I couldn’t control and I believe we do have it under control with this medical team.”

With illness concerns in the back mirror, McIntosh is getting first- and second-team looks during OTA’s and mandatory minicamp. There are no pads, no tackling, no real football being played quite yet, but he is in the thick of things after standing on the outside looking in a year ago.

How quickly things changed.

“It’s amazing,” McIntosh said. “I just thank God, who got me through it, being able to be patient and working with the trainers. I’m grateful, ready to work, ready for this season.”

McIntosh worked hard in the offseason to return to his college form, where he picked up 103 total tackles with 5.5 sacks and 23.0 tackles for loss over three seasons. He feels his strength and speed have caught up, he said.

It has caught the eye of those on the practice field.

“He is caught up,” Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said. “He is doing well. With defensive linemen, we will see more once we can get in more hitting situations. He is moving around well and has gotten much stronger since he has gotten here. He fits well in the defense and looks like he is getting himself right for training camp.”

Whether McIntosh remains in the rotation come September is yet to be seen, but defensive line depth and inexperience are major question marks. More OTA’s, more offseason workouts, training camp and preseason stand between now and the answer to how big his role will be in his second season as a Giant.

Still, the fact McIntosh is in the conversation is a step in the right direction.

“I’m grateful for everything I have,” McIntosh said.

Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @briannnnf. Find NJ.com on Facebook.