The troubling thing about Deonte Banks’ third season isn’t a single busted coverage, a bad angle, or even a highlight reel he’s on the wrong side of. It’s the way the New York Giants’ former first-round pick looks like he’s shrinking inside a defense that doesn’t seem to understand what he does well.
Two years ago, Banks was the type of rookie you circled as a future building block. Today, he’s fighting to stay relevant on a roster that’s getting snaps from seventh-rounders instead of actively developing a former first-round pick.
What he was supposed to be
When the Giants spent the 25th overall pick in 2023 on the Maryland standout, the vision was obvious. Banks had the athletic profile of a future CB1. He could run with anyone, he played an aggressive, confident style, and his rookie tape under Wink Martindale showed flashes of a guy who could tilt matchups.
Six pass breakups. Two interceptions. Plenty of competitive moments against big-time receivers. There were rookie mistakes, sure, but there was also real juice. The Giants felt they had something worth molding.
What he’s become in Shane Bowen’s defense
The shift came the moment Martindale walked out the door and Shane Bowen walked in. Bowen’s scheme has looked disorganized all season, and Banks has become one of its most glaring victims.
The numbers are brutal. Banks has surrendered 270 yards, three touchdowns and an 87 percent completion rate this year. He has only one pass breakup. His confidence looks rattled. His processing feels a step slow. And the aggressive style that once made him exciting is now being replaced by hesitation.
That’s the real warning sign. When a corner stops trusting his traits, he plays scared. Banks looks stuck between doing what Bowen wants and doing what he’s good at, and in the NFL, that middle ground is deadly.
The body language problem
The Giants’ coaching dysfunction hasn’t helped, but Banks hasn’t done himself many favors either. The effort has dipped. His engagement between plays has come into question. It’s one thing to struggle in a scheme that doesn’t fit you — it’s another to look disconnected.
That’s how you end up behind players like Korie Black, a seventh-round rookie who shouldn’t be out-snapping a former first-rounder if everything is going according to plan. This isn’t about talent. It’s about trust. And right now, the Giants don’t trust Banks to handle his responsibilities.
Is there a path back?
The easy solution is also the most complicated one: coaching. Banks needs a defensive coordinator who knows how to maximize athletic corners — someone who lets him press, compete, disrupt timing, and play downhill instead of sitting back in soft coverage that exposes his weaknesses.
In the right system, Banks could still turn his career around. But the Giants are far from the right system at the moment, and unless the next head coach brings a defensive mind who actually tailors schemes to personnel, this story is going to get worse before it gets better.
A hard question the Giants can’t avoid
The Giants need more from Deonte Banks. They know it. He knows it. But if the team doesn’t overhaul the defensive staff this offseason, the honest question becomes this:
Do they keep riding out the growing pains, or do they move him while some teams might still believe in the upside?
Because as things stand today, Banks isn’t just regressing. He’s fading — and the Giants can’t afford to let another first-rounder disappear into the background without a plan.