Giants plan to start CB Deonte Banks, who was benched in Monday night's loss
George Pickens #14 of the Pittsburgh Steelers avoids a tackle from Deonte Banks #3 of the Giants during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium on October 28, 2024 in Pittsburgh. Credit: Getty Images/Justin K. Aller
Brian Daboll cleared up one thing about cornerback Deonte Banks on Tuesday: He will start when the Giants play the Commanders at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
Beyond that, the career of the second-year man, who was a first-round draft pick just last year, seems to be at a curious crossroads.
Twice this season his coaches and/or teammates have called him out for lack of effort in tackle attempts, first against the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb on Sept. 26, then against the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts on Oct. 20.
Then came Monday night, in a 26-18 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Banks was benched in the second quarter in favor of Greg Stroman, who had been elevated off the practice squad last week.
It was a particularly stark move given that the Giants entered the season thin at that crucial position and were made thinner there because of injuries.
On paper, Banks should be their best cornerback. Now what? First things first: Daboll said Banks would return to his starting role.
“I think that he'll come in with the right mindset, the right attitude, and everybody will help him do the best job he can do, and I know he certainly will give everything he has,” the coach said on Tuesday.
Daboll declined to address whether Banks had shown any signs of such trouble in his rookie season and declined to go into detail about precisely what went wrong on Monday.
After the game, Daboll said the team “needed a little bit more” from Banks.
On Tuesday, Daboll said, “I would just say we made that decision and went in a different direction after the first 27 plays, and I have full confidence in ‘Tae’ that he'll be ready to go this week and we'll do everything we can to help him be ready to go.”
The Giants have reason to hope so. Cornerback has been a question mark dating to last spring.
General manager Joe Schoen was heard jokingly saying on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” that he might have to play cornerback himself if the Giants used their resources to trade for and pay linebacker Brian Burns, which they eventually did.
During the loss to the Steelers, Banks tried to make a low tackle on Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris, only to have Harris hurdle over him and gain 13 yards, and missed an open-field tackle on George Pickens.
Later, Banks pushed Pickens out of the back of the end zone, preventing a touchdown, but he appeared to take a poor angle on the play initially.
After the game, Banks said, “They said it was missed tackles. I just play football. If that’s what they want to do, that’s what they’ll do.”
Banks called the experience of watching from the sideline “weird.”
“I don’t really think I was playing bad,” he said, “but it’s not my choice.”
Star nose tackle Dexter Lawrence did not take issue with Harris’ leap over Banks. He did take issue with the would-be TD pass to Pickens, which was overturned because only his right foot was inbounds.
“That play shouldn't have happened,” Lawrence said. “It shouldn’t have come down to a (replay) decision. We have to play harder.”
How will he handle Banks as a defensive leader?
“Keep encouraging him,” Lawrence said. “I have his back. Talk to him and see if he needs my help or anything. Just be the guy for him.”
Still, Lawrence said, “I think he could have competed better on that touchdown pass.”
Notes & quotes: Daboll said RB Tyrone Tracy is in the NFL’s concussion protocol. He left the game in the fourth quarter after rushing 20 times for 145 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown run . . . Malik Nabers had seven receptions, giving him 46 for 498 yards. He ranks second in the Super Bowl era for receptions through six career NFL games, behind only the Rams’ Puka Nacua with 50 last season . . . The Giants’ 35 sacks are one more than they had all of last season . . . Daboll sought to explain an inexplicable botched two-point conversion try that employed an exotic formation. But he said none of it was QB Daniel Jones’ fault. “Daniel saw the right thing and he did the right thing,” Daboll said.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
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