The Giants may have stumbled into one of their most useful camp battles without even meaning to. Deonte Banks and Calvin Austin III give Chris Horton a return duo that can change field position in a hurry, and that kind of special-teams punch can matter when the roster gets tight.
Banks is the bigger surprise. The former first-round pick has not earned his keep on defense, but he did enough as a kick returner to keep himself in the picture.
He averaged 32.7 yards per kick return in 2025, which ranked second in the NFL, and he broke one 95 yards for a touchdown in Week 17. He finished with 19 kick returns for 622 yards, and PFF gave him an 86.3 return grade.
He even picked up two votes at kick returner on the Associated Press All-Pro ballot, a sharp turn for someone who had barely handled kicks since high school.
That return work stands in stark contrast to the rest of his season. Banks was graded 112th of 114 corners by PFF and allowed a 149.7 passer rating. The Giants declined his fifth-year option on May 1, so his route to the 53-man roster now runs through a part of the game where his value is obvious.
Austin brings a different kind of threat. The new signing from Pittsburgh has 72 career punt returns for 639 yards, an 8.9-yard average and a touchdown.
He also took one back 73 yards for a score against the Giants in 2024. At 5-foot-9 and 162 pounds, he is a speed player who can also provide slot depth behind the top of the receiver room.
His offensive role is still up in the air, but the Giants know what they’re getting on special teams. In a roster squeeze, that kind of punt-return ability carries real weight.
The setup is clean: Banks handles kickoffs, Austin handles punts. They are not fighting for the same job, and that gives the Giants a chance to keep two dangerous returners without burning a roster spot on a specialist who offers little else.
For a team that has not had much to brag about in the return game, this is a real development. If Banks keeps the kickoff job and Austin nails down punts, Horton will have a field-position weapon worth building around.
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Giants Finally Have Options And Deonte Banks Feels The Pressure
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Deonte Banks is right in the middle of that shift, and the pressure is obvious. The first-round pick has to show he can be dependable in coverage and finish plays on the ball, because the Giants now have multiple corners competing for the same snaps and a staff that can afford to keep rotating until somebody separates. [Read more 🡒]