One of the quieter training camp stories in East Rutherford is starting to make a lot more noise, and it belongs to Damon Bankston.
The Giants’ backfield looked pretty much spoken for heading into camp. Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy, and Devin Singletary gave the room a defined shape, and there was plenty of offseason chatter about John Harbaugh wanting another body in the rotation. Bankston, an undrafted rookie, has gone about making that conversation harder to avoid.
He first turned heads during rookie minicamp, and he’s kept building from there. The appeal is obvious: he runs efficiently, catches the ball out of the backfield, contributes on special teams, and isn’t shy about blocking. That kind of all-around utility gives him a real shot to hang around.
Bankston’s biggest statement came on the final day of practice Saturday. According to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, the 23-year-old scored on three straight drives during a live-contact goal-line drill. And he did it without the benefit of the first-team offensive line.
Instead, he was running behind Evan Neal and Bryan Hudson, and he still found the end zone three times in a row. That matters even more when you remember the frame he’s working with. At 5-foot-10 and 186 pounds, Bankston is undersized by NFL standards, but that didn’t slow him down in that drill.
None of this means he’s about to leapfrog Skattebo for the goal-line job. That’s still a much bigger ask. But pushing Singletary or Eric Gray for a roster spot looks very much in play, even if the goal-line role may be the least natural fit for him.
The New Mexico State and Weber State product also brings value elsewhere. Last season, he averaged 36.2 yards per kick return and took two back for touchdowns. He was also one of the more productive receiving backs in college football a year ago, which is more than can be said for Singletary or Eric Gray.
Bankston has never had the luxury of being a prized prospect, whether coming out of high school or college. He’s had to fight for every inch, and that edge is showing now. Rather than fade in camp, he’s making the Giants think seriously about keeping him around in 2026.
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