Are the New York Giants really arrogant enough to believe that Deonte Banks forgot how to play football overnight, or are we finally ready to admit that this organization destroys talent for sport?
It is easy to look at a 25th overall pick struggling and scream “bust” from the cheap seats, but that ignores the systemic rot that has taken hold in East Rutherford. The Giants have run yet another first-round pick into the ground, and while Banks shares some blame for the lack of effort, the fingerprints of a failed coaching staff are all over this crime scene.
Shane Bowen Destroyed The New York Giants’ Defensive Asset
The Maryland product showed plenty of promise during his rookie season, back when Wink Martindale was still pulling the strings as defensive coordinator. Martindale pushed the front office significantly to draft Banks, falling in love with his elite athletic profile and the way he fit into a heavy-pressure system. But when the Giants parted ways with Martindale in an ugly divorce, they threw Banks into the wilderness without a compass.
They hired Shane Bowen to handle the defense in 2024 and through this season, and the results have been an absolute disaster, culminating in his firing. Bowen has destroyed any semblance of hope for Banks by asking him to play a style that fundamentally clashes with his instincts. The regression has been stark and painful to watch, proving that scheme fit matters just as much as raw talent.
Deonte Banks Stats Paint A Picture Of Total Collapse
The numbers this season are not just bad; they are a cry for help. In 356 snaps, Banks has given up 270 yards in coverage while surrendering three touchdowns and managing only one pass breakup. He has been getting progressively worse over the past two seasons, looking lost in space and hesitant in his decision-making.
The ultimate humiliation has come recently with the Giants benching him for his lack of effort, tackling, and liabilities in coverage. Instead of their former first-round pick, they are rolling with seventh-round rookie Korie Black. That is straight-up embarrassing for everyone involved, but it says more about the coaching staff’s inability to reach their top investment than it does about Black’s sudden emergence.
New York Giants Must Not Sell Low On Elite Traits
Despite the wreckage, the Giants should hang onto him just in case the next regime can salvage the asset. Banks was one of the highest-graded athletes in combine history at the position, possessing physical tools that you simply cannot teach. The Giants have done a terrible job developing most of their players, let alone Banks, so trading him now would be selling a Ferrari for scrap metal just because you don’t know how to change the oil.
They should wait to see who their new head coaches are and what their skill set is before they decide to trade Banks away. A redemption arc is entirely possible, but it is going to take a perfect hiring of the next head coach and their assistance to unlock it.
Chris Shula Could Save The Giants’ Secondary
Who is to say the Giants don’t hire a coach like Chris Shula? He is widely regarded as an excellent defensive developmental coach, and he might be the exact type of mind needed to help save Banks’ career with the Giants. If the next staff prioritizes defense, they will look at Banks’ athletic testing and see a ball of clay waiting to be molded, not a broken bust.
At this point, the organization owes it to themselves to see if a competent teacher can fix what Bowen broke. Trading him now guarantees another team reaps the rewards of his potential while the Giants are left with nothing but another wasted draft pick. Hold the line, fire the staff, and see if the kid can play under someone who actually knows what they are doing.
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