Has Giants CB Deonte Banks Really Regressed?

New York Giants CB Deonte Banks has been the target of public criticism this year, but is it warranted?

Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (3) enters the field before a game against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

Many Giants fans have referred to New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks as one of the biggest disappointments of the season.

But is the criticism truly warranted? Oh, sure, you can look at the effort lapses, which are definitely an issue and are easily correctable if the player is willing to make the effort.

But the performance itself? When evaluating Banks’ film, some levels go into explaining his performance, which we’ll examine.

First, it’s important to note that last year, Banks spent much of the season as the second cornerback. This year, he is a true CB1. He has been assigned to shadow the opposing team’s top wide receiver more than any other cornerback in the NFL.

It is important to note that the difference between facing a WR1 or WR2 is night and day for some teams, so it’s important to acknowledge that Banks has been facing better competition in 2024.

Let’s look at his numbers.

	2023	2024
Targets per game	6.13	4.8
Receptions per game	3.53	3.3
Yards per game	42.9	44.7
Total Touchdowns	4	6
Interceptions + PBUs	8	5
Passer Rating Allowed	84.7	137.8

The numbers support the idea that Banks is not consistently beaten or targeted by opposing quarterbacks. It just so happens that the losses are bigger and way more noticeable when he gets beaten.

Banks, on film, still has most of the tools required to become a top-flight cornerback in the NFL but he’s taken steps back in two major areas in 2024: effort and confidence.

Again, both of these are easily fixable if the player is willing to acknowledge them and take action. But the question is, what led to the drop in confidence?

It could be argued that the step up in competition has played a part, considering he’s now facing better receivers who will give him more of a test. Banks started off the year with the impossible task of covering Justin Jefferson when he gave up two catches on four targets for 47 yards and a touchdown while getting bailed out with a drop and making an interception himself.

Then, there was a shift in Week 3 when the Giants played the Browns. The Browns started their offensive performance with a throw into the end zone and Amari Cooper caught a touchdown against Banks.

Later in that game, Banks was matched up against Cooper once again inside the 10-yard line. Despite playing with inside leverage, Banks gave up another touchdown on the slant.

Here’s a clip of #Giants Deonte Banks guarding #Browns Amari Cooper 😬

After having an ok rookie season he’s done worse this season already allowing a 127.1 Passer Rating

IMO Banks is one of the most overrated CBs in the leaguepic.twitter.com/GSfKtdkbUZ

— DJFootball (@drew_sports_) September 23, 2024

In my opinion, that game was a turning point for Banks this season. He was targeted a season-high 12 times, giving up six catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns.

The following week, the Cowboys only targeted him three times, but he allowed three catches and a touchdown with a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

That is when Giants defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson began publicly calling out Banks for his lack of effort.

Banks responded with a strong performance against the Seattle Seahawks but again after that game, once he got rattled, the effort fell off.

When playing cornerback, confidence is arguably the most important trait required to find success. Think of the greatest cornerbacks of all time and the confidence they have to shut down the man across from them just oozes out of them.

Banks, to my eyes at least, lost confidence in that Browns game, and he started to shut down mentally in the Cowboys game. After answering the call vs the Seahawks, he once again shut down after things got tough.

Physically, Banks has the traits to line up across from just about anybody and play in coverage but mentally, he has a lot of maturing to do as he can’t expect to win eerie matchup, and he must be able to deploy the old cornerback mentality of having a short memory if he’s to avoid consistently being chewed up and spit out by opposing receivers.  

After being a press-man corner in college and as a rookie, he’s now being asked to do more coverage-wise under Shane Bowen. And it’s not that he can’t play certain coverages. 

Still, it is possible that things are piling up between a scheme change, responsibility changes as CB1, publicly being called out by coaches and teammates, and facing criticism by fans and media alike.

None of that is to excuse anything by Banks. He’s an NFL athlete and a first-round draft pick, and with all that comes high expectations.

It’s impossible to sit here and say what Banks needs to do to correct himself and his play since it’s 90% just mental at this point. It’s also fair to say that although I believe the lack of confidence caused his effort to fall off, that’s no excuse.

The Giants, for their part, are not giving up on Banks.

“We're not giving up on Tae,” Giants general manager Joe Schoen said this week. “He's got the physical traits. He's shown the ability to match the top receivers on other teams. And corner's a tough position to play. 

“You're moving backward and going against some of the greatest athletes in the world that are moving forward. And some balls are going to be caught on you. And he's been in a really good position on some of them. So, we're not going to give up on Tae. He works hard. He wants it. And I still believe he's got a bright future.”

That said, effort is effort, and without emphasizing making sure he’s playing hard every snap, it’s impossible to get better. Confidence will not recover without focusing on doing the little things right.

I’m not out on Banks just yet. He’s still just 23 years old, and he has the physical tools to be a legit top cornerback for this franchise, as Schoen said. But he needs to start turning things around and being more proactive. Otherwise, the team may have to offload him this offseason in hopes that a change of scenery would help him.

---

JOIN THE NEW YORK GIANTS ON SI COMMUNITY!

• Follow and like us on Facebook.
• Submit your questions for our mailbag.
• Follow on Instagram.
• Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.

---