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Giants DL Dexter Lawrence: Lack of Effort on Any Play is Unacceptable

Dexter Lawrence revealed how the defensive players addressed any lack of effort spotted on film.

Patricia Traina

Sep 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) catches a touchdown pass as New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (3) defends during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field.
Sep 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) catches a touchdown pass as New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (3) defends during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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New York Giants passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson put cornerback Deonte Banks, the team’s first-round draft pick last year, on public notice three weeks ago for his lackadaisical effort against Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb on a 55-yard touchdown catch in which Banks didn’t pursue the tackle as hard as he could have.

Henderson, who openly said he didn’t like anything about the play, hoped that the second-year cornerback would get the message about effort, and at first, it appeared he did, as Banks went out and had himself a game against Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf. 

However, two weeks after that upset win in the Pacific Northwest, new instances showed up on tape of Banks not giving his all on every play, which upset the coaches and his teammates.

Head coach Brian Daboll predictably didn’t go into detail about how he addressed the issue with Banks other than to say it was addressed. Still, defensive lineman and co-captain Dexter Lawrence revealed that Banks’ peers addressed the matter.

“It's not acceptable,” Lawrence said on Thursday when asked if Banks’s half-baked effort bothered him. “He knows it. We addressed it, and that's the type of thing that. We don't accept it as a defense.”

One of Banks’s most egregious plays–or lack thereof, happened during the first play of the fourth quarter when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took off with the ball on a 3rd-and-7. Banks started after him but then inexplicably stopped his pursuit. Hurts gained 16 yards on the play as Henderson came flying down the sideline, enraged by Banks’s lack of effort. 

After the game, Banks told reporters that he thought he could have made the tackle but added, “Sometimes when you’re in that moment, you just think like, ‘Nah.’ But I think I could’ve made a tackle.” 

Lawrence, who gives his all on every play even when being double-teamed at a historically alarming rate, was asked if the matter was addressed with one individual or on a broader scale.

“I think the best way is to do it with your whole unit,” he said. “That's how we address it. I know what you're talking about. It's addressed, and it's been addressed. We won't see anything like that again.”

And if it does?

“When you see it, you address it,” Lawrence said. “I think that's the first time something like that happened. So, we addressed it, and now everybody knows that's not acceptable.”

Daboll has not indicated whether he plans to send a message to Banks by benching him for a series or maybe even a quarter. 

Then again, given that the Giants have three cornerbacks–Cor’Dale Flott, Adoree’ Jackson, and Tre Hawkins III–who didn’t practice on Thursday with Flott and Jackson believed to be in danger of missing Monday night’s game at Pittsburgh, Daboll might not have the luxury of sitting Banks down for any given period.

As far as Lawrence is concerned, he’s willing to give Banks and any other defenders whose lax approach might have flown under the radar the benefit of the doubt.

“I think the biggest thing is not making the same mistake twice, making new mistakes, and that's one,” he said.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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