How Giants' Deonte Banks Can Take Next Step Toward Top Cornerback Status

Banks had a solid rookie season but here is what he needs to show in Year 2 according to his position coach.

Nov 26, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (25) celebrates an interception against New England Patriots in the 1st half at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants drafted Deonte Banks last season as their first-round pick. Now, with the team having moved on from veteran Adoree' Jackson, Banks is expected to be the team’s new No. 1 cornerback.

Count Banks in as being ready to roll.

“I actually love it,” he said of the challenge after the team completed its ninth OTA last Thursday. “I take on the challenge, and I face it. I feel good about it.”

Last year, Banks showed signs of being a No.1  cornerback in the making. According to Giants defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, it won’t be too hard to tell when that moment arrives.

“There are some receivers in this league that against anybody, you are going to want to give a corner some help sometimes,” said Henderson.

“You hope that against those guys that he plays a game where you're like, ‘Okay, that, that's even, that's an even matchup for the Giants. You hope he develops into that.”

So does Banks, who is seeking to reward the Giants’ confidence in his abilities after the team didn’t bring in another veteran cornerback to be that No. 1 guy.

Banks, who spent the off-season training in Florida, said he feels much more comfortable with his full-time football routine.

Banks, by all accounts, had a solid, promising rookie campaign. His 57.6 percent completion rate tied for eighth among 22 cornerbacks in his draft class that had a minimum of 200 coverage snaps, many of Banks’s coverage snaps coming against the opponents’ top receivers.

“I feel like I had an okay year,” Banks said. “I started a little slow, and towards the end -- towards the middle and end of the season I got better. I got my awareness of what's coming. I just felt good, felt better.”

But Banks will also be among the first to tell you that he could have been much better last year. He struggled, for instance, when opponents started throwing combination routes at him.

He also led the Giants in penalties with eight, something he’ll be looking to clean up this year. And although he came down with two interceptions, he might have had a couple more on some missed opportunities where he wasn’t quite in the right position to complete the turnover.

Banks, who missed the last two games of the season with a shoulder injury, played hard and as the season wore on, the game began to slow down for him to where he was able to break through the rookie wall experienced midway through the campaign.

This year Banks will need to rely a little less on raw talent and start using his head. The good news is that things should be a little less stressful for him in this new defense being run by Shane Bowen, a defense that relies more on zone coverage, an area in which Banks showed instincts.

So far, so good, according to head coach Brian Daboll.

“He's playing some different things here with our new defense, but he's done a really good job I would say throughout the OTAs as well,” said head coach Brian Daboll.

“Obviously, you see his physical gifts and you're like, ‘Wow’” Henderson said when asked where Banks needs to take the biggest jump forward.

“He's gotta make those physical gifts work for him every play. And then he's gotta grow in his awareness and his one-on-one knowledge.”

Henderson is confident Banks will get there.

“He's working his butt off to get there,” Henderson said. “I'm pushing him to get there. Hopefully, he is that guy for us.” 

---

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