Most Indispensable New York Giants: Can Deonte Banks Corner Opposing No. 1 Receivers?

TheGiants on SIlist of most indispensable Giants moves to No. 6 on countdown. The list was compiled based on a vote among the Giants on SIeditorial contributors.

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 200 lbs.
College: Maryland | NFL Exp: 2 Years
Career Stats: 64 tackles, 2 interceptions

Deonte Banks was one of the most dominant press-man cornerbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft, leading the New York Giants to draft him with the 25th overall pick in the first round. The 2023 season saw Banks have one of the most difficult assignments you could give a rookie cornerback as he played in Wink Martindale’s defense.

Banks played in 15 games as a rookie, allowing 644 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions, and six passes broken up. Banks showed flashes of potential, but Martindale’s defensive system puts cornerbacks at a constant disadvantage in man-to-man coverage with little help over top.

With Shane Bowen in as defensive coordinator, Banks should be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new scheme. Not only will he be put on an island less, but the frequency of zone usage should allow Banks more opportunities to make a play on the ball.

Expectations for a rookie cornerback in a heavy press-man scheme are generally low, and the Banks have comfortably exceeded those expectations. A premium draft pick being spent on a player at a premium position alone would make him indispensable.

The fact that Banks exceeded expectations in his rookie season further solidifies him as being indispensable. Assuming Banks continues progressing at the rate that he should, Giants fans could have their best outside cornerback since Janoris Jenkins.

In 2023, Banks allowed the third-lowest passer rating for a rookie cornerback who was targeted 50 or more times with an 84.7.

The Giants’ outside cornerback room right now is a question mark, in my opinion. Banks has shown flashes of being a true CB1, but outside of him, there are a lot of unknowns in the room.

The preseason and early weeks of the regular season should help answer some questions about who will be willing and able to step up opposite Banks. As it presently stands, though, if the Giants are without Banks at any point this season, then the confidence in that cornerback drops dramatically.

Banks missed two games in the 2023 season, in weeks 17 and 18, against the Rams and Eagles. The Eagles game saw them sit starters, but in the game against the Rams, the Giants allowed 317 yards in a one-point loss.

Banks’s status as the sixth-most indispensable Giant is a fair assessment right now. Banks is considered the future of the Giants’ secondary and should honestly be considered the present of the secondary.

One could argue that he should be even higher up on the list, but until he puts everything together more, sixth is a good landing spot for him.

Banks will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the change from Martindale to Bowen as defensive coordinator. 

It can’t be stressed enough how difficult it was for cornerbacks to succeed under Martindale, not just because they had to play man-to-man coverage frequently but also because there was very little support over the top or underneath.

Under Bowen, Banks will stay primarily on the perimeter and be given more opportunities to play with his eyes on the quarterback. Defenders under Bowen last year didn’t come away with many interceptions, but that was more of a personnel issue.

Banks has shown the ability to make plays on the ball in man-to-man coverage and should find more success in zone coverage in 2024.