The Giants may have to navigate Sunday’s game against Tennessee with another question hanging over their secondary.
Cornerback Deonte Banks is listed as questionable with a calf injury after being limited at practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, according to the team’s final injury report. That comes on top of the earlier blow of Paulson Adebo landing on injured reserve, leaving New York with less room to maneuver at corner than it expected going into the season.
Banks’ availability matters because it affects how much the Giants can stick to their preferred outside-corner rotation. If he’s able to go, the team can stay closer to normal. If he can’t, the next players up will need to handle more coverage snaps, and that becomes a bigger issue when the defense is already dealing with an offense that has changed quarterbacks.
Greg Newsome II is at least a stable piece in the mix. He practiced fully all week and has no injury designation.
But one healthy starter doesn’t erase the depth concern if Banks is unavailable. The Giants still have to figure out who takes the outside snaps and how much help that side needs.
Rolling a safety over the top can give a corner support, but it can also leave another area exposed underneath.
Banks isn’t ruled out yet, and the Friday report keeps the door open for him to play. Still, calf injuries are something to watch closely for a corner, since planting and driving on routes are such a big part of the job. If he’s active, the next question is whether he can handle his usual workload.
That makes this one worth checking again on game day. Tennessee will get a look at the Giants’ cornerback group before kickoff, and New York has to be ready for either version of Sunday: Banks in the lineup, or a thinner rotation without him. With Adebo already sidelined, there isn’t much margin for improvisation once the game begins.
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