The New York Giants dropped to 2-6 on Monday night, and they might’ve slammed the door on their first-round draft pick from last season.
Greg Stroman, a former seventh-rounder who signed to New York’s practice squad in early October, replaced cornerback Deonte Banks late in the first half. What’s interesting is that the Giants never reported an injury to the young cornerback.
It’s not known at the moment what led to the benching, but Banks was embarrassed by Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris on Monday night, whiffing on a tackle after Harris completely cleared him with a hurdle. Harris would go on to finish the play with a 14-yard run and a first down.
Bank was drafted 24th in 2023, and got off to a promising start, snagging two interceptions in 15 starts. Unfortunately, his second professional season has been a mixed bag.
Banks’ effort has been called into question multiple times during the season.
In Week Four, as the Giants faced the Dallas Cowboys, Banks showed poor effort in attempting to tackle wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who went on to score a 55-yard touchdown. In Week Seven against the Philadelphia Eagles, Banks slowed down and let quarterback Jalen Hurts scamper past him for extra yards.
Afterward, defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence said: “It’s not acceptable. He knows it. We addressed it and that’s the type of thing that we don’t accept as a defense,” per ESPN.
If the Giants are done with Banks, a team with a thin secondary will almost certainly give him a shot, but if that doesn’t pan out he may be out of the league before he knows it.
