Giants CB Deonte Banks Vows Lackluster Efforts Won't Happen Again

New York Giants CB Deonte Banks has twice been caught on tape not giving a full effort, but after being called out by his teammates he vows to eliminate that from his game.

Jul 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (3) breaks on the sideline during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks, who has been under fire recently for his inconsistent effort in games at critical times, made a vow to never let that happen again.

“I know I have to have better effort,” Banks told reporters on Friday after practice. “It won’t ever happen again.” 

The Giants–players and coaches–are looking for the second-year cornerback to keep his word because they can’t have such a key member of the defense give up on a tackle, be it a potential touchdown reception, as was the case against Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb, or a quarterback scramble, as was the case against EAgles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

“It's not acceptable. He knows it,” said defensive lineman and team co-captain Dexter Lawrence II. “We addressed it, and that's the type of thing that. We don't accept it as a defense.”

“We expect these guys every snap to play full speed to the tackle,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen added. “Making sure they're running the ball and doing all those things. That's the expectation. That's the standard we want to have here across the board.” 

Banks is admittedly struggling in his second year in a defensive system that’s different from what he played in last year, where he played more man coverage (39.3% of his coverage snaps) than he has this year (29.7%).

According to NextGen Stats, he has allowed four touchdowns as the nearest defender in coverage in the first five weeks of the season after allowing just four all of last season.

While Banks might secretly prefer how he’s deployed, he knows that he can’t put forth lackluster efforts that end up hurting the team, and he revealed that he approached his teammates to own up to his actions.

“They believe in my ability, and I believe my own,” Banks said. “[My teammates] know what I’m capable of. It was no problem. I’m taking accountability for what happened.”

To his credit, Banks responded well when he was called out the first time following the Lamb fiasco. Giants passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson didn't dance around his feelings regarding Banks’s “effort” on the Lamb touchdown catch, saying he didn’t like anything about it.

Banks then responded the following week by limiting Seahawks top receiver DK Metcalf to just one reception out of three pass targets for a total of 10 yards.

But the issues began popping up again against Cincinnati and the Eagles, again drawing criticism toward Banks.

With the issue having been addressed a second time, Banks, according to head coach Brian Daboll, isn’t going to be benched. However, how much of that decision is tied into the fact that the Giants have three cornerbacks–Adoree Jackson, Cor’Dale Flott, and Tre Hawkins III–on this week’s injury report who are shaky at best to be available for Monday night when the Giants face the Steelers on the road is up for debate.

“That’s all things that we discuss as a coaching staff,” Bowen said when asked about potentially benching a player for a lackluster effort. “Where we’re at in that game comes into play. 

“All those things are on the table. The job of a coach is to make sure you find the right buttons to press. We have to coach everything and ensure we’re not making the same mistakes — and learning from those mistakes.”

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