Deonte Banks walked into Giants camp with something to answer for, and on Saturday he gave the team the kind of practice they were waiting to see.
In the final workout at West Virginia, the former first-round corner came up with an interception in the back of the end zone and later knocked away a slant to Isaiah Likely near the pylon. Those weren’t just splash plays for the highlight reel. They were the kind of reps that matter for a corner trying to show he can finish.
Banks has plenty left to prove, and one good day doesn’t wipe away what came before. But for a player at his position, momentum can flip fast when the feet are right and the ball starts finding him. The Giants needed to see him around the action, breaking on throws and making receivers uncomfortable.
That’s what Saturday delivered. The end-zone pick showed range, while the breakup on Likely came in a tight spot where he stayed attached and made the throw harder than it wanted to be.
Now the next step comes next Saturday, when the Giants open preseason play against Minnesota. Banks doesn’t have to shut down every target. He just has to stop giving quarterbacks easy answers and start cashing in when chances come his way.
Saturday at least gave the Giants something solid to build on. Banks was active, he finished one play, and he made another throw a lot less inviting. For a corner trying to reset the conversation, that’s the right place to begin.
In Other News...
Jevon Holland Is Giving Giants Fans A Tough New Debate
Jevon Hollands first season with the Giants did not match the kind of impact the team hoped for when it added him to the secondary, and Pro Football Focuss latest rankings reflected that disappointment. He was left off PFFs list of the leagues top 32 safeties after landing at No. 73 among qualified players last year, a blunt reminder that the move to New York has not yet produced the sort of weekly difference-maker the Giants envisioned.
Still, Holland is under contract through 2027, which keeps his name right in the middle of the Giants longer-term defensive conversation. With the roster already dealing with the fallout from recent trades and injuries, the safety spot is one more area where the team needs clarity, and Hollands next stretch could go a long way toward determining whether he is part of the fix or part of the debate. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Are Taking A Risk With Malik Nabers At The Worst Time
Malik Nabers has been easing back into Giants training camp as he recovers from a knee injury, and his availability has already become one of the early talking points around the team. He has been limited in practice, but New York has still had him working without the kind of obvious restrictions that usually signal a player is being handled with extra caution, even as the club has spent part of the summer trying to shore up a receiver room thinned by depth concerns.
That balancing act matters more with Week 1 against the Cowboys approaching, because the Giants are clearly counting on Nabers to be part of the plan right away. At the same time, every practice rep carries a little more weight when a key receiver is coming off an injury, and New York has to decide how much exposure is worth it before the season starts to count. [Read more 🡒]