Deonte Banks
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In the history of pop culture (and American literature), embattled New York Giants cornerback and former 1st-round pick Deonte Banks might have more in common with American writer Mark Twain than anyone may have thought.
Like Twain, reports of Banks’ death (in the football sense) seem to have been greatly exaggerated.
Somehow or another, Banks is breathing life into what seemed like a DOA NFL career over the course of 1 training camp under new head coach John Harbaugh and new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson.
After being benched and relegated to a return specialist role in 2025, the No. 23 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft seemed destined for another season as a backup in 2026.
Not so fast, my friends. In a plot twist worthy of Twain himself, Banks is surprising people like Tom Sawyer walking into his own funeral.
“There is serious competition for the Giants starting cornerback positions,” Big Blue Film Room wrote on its official X account on Saturday. “Deonte Banks (is) in that mix. Banks ranked 112th out of 114 qualifying cornerbacks last season in PFF grade. But he’s earned rave reviews in camp in Dennard Wilson’s new system.”
The Giants open the preseason on Saturday, August 15, at home against the Minnesota Vikings.
Giants Urged to Trade Deonte Banks Before Camp
On paper at least, the Giants have pretty much cut bait on cornerback on Banks — the biggest signal being they declined the $12.6 million 5th-year option on his contract on May 1.
Before training camp, Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton proposed the best move for the Giants was to trade Banks to a cornerback-needy team, and to do it for whatever they could get back, which might end up being pennies on the dollar with a 2027 Day 3 draft pick.