The New York Giants are putting all of their faith in cornerback Deonte Banks to be their shutdown defensive back for the upcoming 2024 NFL season, and one of their coaches added a battery to his back ahead of training camp.
DBs Coach Jerome Henderson gives Banks his vote of confidence
According to Marca.com, Giants defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson recently put out this bill of confidence that the team has in Banks in the midst of OTA’s, saying:
“We would like to see him grow and be that true No. 1 corner. There are some receivers in this league that, against anybody, you are going to want to give a corner help sometimes. You hope against those guys he plays a game where you are like, ‘OK, that’s an even matchup for the Giants.’ You hope he develops into that. He’s working his butt off to get there. I’m pushing him to get there,” Henderson said.
Deonte Banks gave the Giants reason to hope for a big 2024 outing following his rookie year
Banks took home two interceptions in 2023, along with 11 passes defended and two tackles for loss. Though the 6-0 CB earned a 51.4 player grade from Pro Football Focus, he did finish tied for second on the Giants in interceptions on the campaign.
He garnered a man coverage rate of 55.5 percent and a shadow rate of 52 percent last season. The 23-year-old could be in line for a spike in those usages in 2024.
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Banks has little competition to deter him from leading the Giants’ secondary next season
The expectation is that Banks will take on the lion share of responsibilities in holding opposing No. 1 wide receivers down moving forward. He’ll man the right corner spot opposite fellow starter LCB Cor’Dale Flott, but Banks is looked at as their featured CB. Fourth-year pro Aaron Robinson is listed as the RCB2 for New York but has not played since 2022.
The Giants impressively got their hands on the second-most interceptions in the league in 2023 with 18. The Maryland native will be instrumental in making sure that New York’s secondary keeps up that level of productivity and refines it toward a winning product. His coaching staff is sold on him having the tools to progress to being a shutdown corner in the NFL, and that may be a recipe for his success next season.