The Giants’ defensive backfield has been one of the most watched parts of camp, and Dennard Wilson isn’t pretending there’s a settled answer yet. Instead, the first-year coordinator has leaned into competition, with Paulson Adebo, Greg Newsome II, Deonte Banks and Colton Hood all getting work with the starters.
“Right now, I see a bunch of young men trying to get better,” Wilson said. “Every day they’re going out there and they’re competing against our offense.
You’ve seen them in the games that we had in the preseason and in the preseason practice. They’re coming out there and trying to detail their work.
Right now, everybody’s fighting to play, and I like where they’re all at.”
The biggest twist so far has been Banks. Coming into the offseason, he was widely viewed as a draft bust, but he has earned starting reps and pushed Adebo into more of a second-team role. Wilson said the change starts with Banks believing in himself.
“I think he just has belief in himself right now,” Wilson said. “He [Banks] has a good group of DB coaches in that room that believe in him.
The players believe in him, and he’s playing with confidence. He’s out there, he’s making the plays he’s supposed to make.
He’s detailed on his assignments, being where he’s supposed to be, and that’s giving him an opportunity to make plays. As long as he keeps doing that, he’ll continue to get better.”
Wilson expanded on that point when asked what has changed for Banks.
“I think it’s a combination of everything,” Wilson continued, when asked what’s changed for Banks. “Just like anybody in life, if you believe in somebody and you have a group of people believing in a player, or if you have your own kids and you believe in your kids, they come out more inspired.
It’s a little bit of that, and he’s taking the personal pride to play better, to be better on the field, to be more consistent. It’s a little bit of both, but I give the kudos to the young man.
He’s really doing a great job of just trying to be the best version of himself.”
Banks’ tools have never been the issue. He has shown he can cover tightly when he’s allowed to play to his strengths, and Wilson’s comments point to a player who is now combining that athletic ability with a steadier, more physical approach.
Consistency and versatility kept showing up in Wilson’s remarks, along with accountability. That last word came first when he talked about new MIKE linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
“He holds everybody accountable,” Wilson said.
He’s vocal on the field. He brings a toughness, and he also brings a calmness to the defense.
He’s a very intelligent player. He can make all the adjustments, and then when he lines up and plays, he runs and hits.
Everything that he does in a pass game is good for us. He takes over the middle of the field because of height and size and instincts.
We’re glad we have him, and we love that he’s here.”
Edmunds and Arvell Reese could end up giving the Giants a linebacking pairing with real juice, especially with Wilson stressing how much Edmunds can do in coverage. That same theme came up again when he discussed Chauncey Golston, who is also pushing for a starting spot along the defensive front.
“For us, we look at our defense as positionless,” Wilson said. “The more you can do, the more opportunities you get to play.
And Chauncey’s a very consistent player. He plays with great technique and detail, and you see it every day.
Chauncey’s just like some of the other guys; we can move him around and put him in different spots.”
Wilson’s comments on Edmunds and Golston offer a clear look at how he wants this defense to function. The idea is built around interchangeable pieces, shifting looks and players who can move around without giving up structure. It also hints at what the Giants are expecting offenses to test.
That matters because the league has leaned harder into play-action shots aimed at the intermediate and middle parts of the field. Wilson’s emphasis on Edmunds’ coverage ability and Reese’s range suggests the Giants want to protect that area while keeping the secondary ready to take away deeper throws.
“Some of the play-action passes, it’s hard for quarterbacks to throw it over top of them, especially when their eyes are right,” Wilson said, talking about Reese and Edmunds. “When they get their depth, they’re long.
They’re big guys. So, it just clogs their windows.
Both of them are very athletic in their zone drops. They do a great job of matching and taking windows away, and then ultimately, they have the athleticism to break on the ball.
They have a unique trait or unique skillset, and it’s good for the New York Giants.”
In Other News...
Giants Face A Shocking Backfield Decision After Costly Mistakes
Tyrone Tracy has become one of the more unexpected names to watch as the Giants sort through their backfield decisions, even after showing enough in past seasons to look like part of the answer. The conversation around him is not just about one bad stretch, either. Coaches John Harbaugh and Matt Nagy have pointed to recent mistakes while still noting Tracys overall contributions and the way he approaches the work, which only adds to the sense that this is a complicated call rather than a simple one.
For the Giants, the timing makes everything trickier. Depth chart changes are already reshaping the room, and salary cap considerations are part of the equation as the front office weighs whether keeping Tracy is the smarter move or whether a surprise cut could be on the table. For a team trying to stabilize its offense, it is the kind of roster question that can linger until the last possible moment. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Are Already Facing A Brutal Reality About Their Rebuild
The Giants spent the offseason trying to reset the roster, adding new pieces through trades and the draft in hopes of stabilizing a team that has spent too long searching for traction. Even so, the outside view has not moved much. Mark Powell of FanSided recently put New York among the NFL teams that are unlikely to contend for a Super Bowl this season, a reminder that a makeover on paper does not always translate into instant progress on the field.
For a franchise trying to rebuild around a new foundation, the more immediate question may be less about wins and losses than about evaluation. Powell suggested the coaching staff could spend this year sorting through the roster and determining who fits long term, including whether Jaxson Dart can develop into the franchise quarterback. Until that becomes clearer, the Giants figure to remain underdogs in the preseason conversation, no matter how much they reshaped the roster over the summer. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Have A Rare Cutdown Advantage Joe Schoen Could Still Cash In
The Giants still have a little maneuvering room before the cutdown deadline, and general manager Joe Schoen said the club is weighing three to five key roster calls before it locks in the 53-man group. For a team that has already shown it can turn surplus into future value by dealing Daniel Faalele to Jacksonville for a 2027 sixth-round pick, the final stretch is less about simply surviving cuts and more about deciding where the roster can still be leveraged.
Schoen has made clear the decision-making will not be one-dimensional. Contract control matters, special teams value matters, position flexibility matters and health will matter too, which gives the Giants a broader lens as they sort through the bubble. With more than one possible trade path still open, the next move could say as much about roster building for the future as it does about the team they plan to put on the field right away. [Read more 🡒]