The New York Giants are waiting on former first-round pick Deonte Banks to live up to the hype. They gave him a prime opportunity as the team’s No. 1 cornerback on the depth chart last season, but instead of taking a step forward, Banks suffered a severe regression.
Now, Banks finds himself in the middle of a position battle for a role in the starting lineup. The Giants listed “Deonte Banks/Cor’Dale Flott” as the No. 2 cornerback on their unofficial Week 1 depth chart.
A recent report has revealed new details about Banks, what went wrong for him in 2024, and how some members inside the Giants’ organization are ready to move on.
Deonte Banks might’ve cost a Giants coach his job
Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post did an evaluation of Banks and his standing within the organization leading up to the Giants’ Week 1 matchup with the Commanders.
Canfora reports that Banks has become a “serious problem” for the Giants in such a short period of time. Banks, and how poorly he played this past season, reportedly “led in no small part to an overhaul of the defensive coaching staff.”
The Giants fired long-time defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson this offseason.
Banks described as immature by Giants staffer
According to La Canfora, one Giants staffer spoke to the Washington Post, describing Banks as immature.
“Does the player even feel responsible for people losing their jobs? A lot of people got burned by him. The kid really needs to grow up,” the staffer told La Canfora.
Canfora also reports that there are some in the Giants’ organization who feel that Banks “might be a lost cause despite some uncommon physical gifts.”
Banks was selected 24th overall by the Giants in the 2023 NFL Draft. He flashed promise as a rookie, but regressed in 2024, leading the Giants to call his starting position into question this summer.
Entering the regular season, Banks is still fighting to prove his worth to the team after being outplayed in many ways by Flott during the summer.
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