Eli Apple’s latest NFL setback is a reminder the Giants can’t afford to let Deonte Banks go the same way.
Apple was released by the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, and after appearing in only six games over the past two seasons, it’s fair to wonder whether that was the final stop. For Giants fans, though, the bigger takeaway isn’t really about Apple anymore.
He hasn’t worn a Giants uniform in years. The bigger issue is what his career arc says about Banks, the Giants’ 2023 first-round pick.
The comparison is easy to see. Apple and Banks came into the league with the kind of size-and-speed profile teams dream on.
Both were viewed as press-man corners with the tools to become difference-makers. Both also hit bumps when the league started demanding more consistency, and both have faced the kind of questions that can quickly turn a promising draft pick into a lingering disappointment.
That’s why some around the Giants are already ready to write Banks off. But the story isn’t settled yet.
Banks is still on the roster, and in Ed’s recent 53-man roster forecast he was moved into the “lock” category. He may have helped his case even more by emerging as a strong kick returner.
That alone would not be the ideal outcome for a former first-round cornerback, but it would still make him useful. With the new kick-off rules giving the play more weight, a dangerous returner can swing a game, and the Giants would love to have their own Devin Hester.
Still, if the Giants want to keep Banks from following Apple’s path, the development has to come from within. Addison Lynch and Dennard Wilson are the two coaches tasked with getting him there.
There have been encouraging signs. Banks opened spring and summer work with the second team, but he has since earned meaningful reps with the starters.
He has reportedly stood out enough to be mentioned among the pleasant surprises from the first week of camp, flashing tight coverage and getting his hands on passes. The issue, at least for now, is finishing those plays.
He even had a bad drop on Monday.
The raw ability has never been in doubt. The question has always been whether he could put it together consistently.
“We tried to show him that his consistency was his deal,” defensive backs coach Addison Lynch said of Banks earlier in the off-season. “He just wasn’t consistent getting lined up fast, wasn’t consistent with his feet. He’s improved his consistency, so now his play is improved, now his confidence is up and he can just roll into the season.”
Dennard Wilson, meanwhile, is expected to run a man-match style defense, an aggressive Cover 4 variation that uses post-snap rules to turn zone looks into a physical man-coverage system. It fits Banks’ strengths and could give him the kind of structure that helps him thrive, though the scheme also asks a lot mentally from defenders.
That processing piece has been a problem for Banks over the last two seasons under Shane Bowen. Lynch, though, seems to believe he’s reaching Banks in a way that previous coaches never quite did with Apple.
“I love how he’s handling it,” Lynch said. “Right now, he’s being an absolute pro.
He’s doing the extra work, he’s in his book, he’s doing everything we ask him. He’s making plays on the ball and he’s doing a really good job handling himself play in and play out.
He’s made major improvements that when he’s tired, he relies on his technique and he’s getting more technically sound, so everything with him is trending in the right direction.”
That’s the part the Giants have to hope matters most. Banks may have already given them a useful returner, but if they’re serious about building through the draft, they need more than that from a former first-round corner with rare athletic traits.
Apple never turned his promise into a lasting NFL career with the Giants or anywhere else. Banks still has a chance to make sure his story ends differently.
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