Giants CB Deonte Banks in crosshairs for lackluster effort yet again

Deonte Banks’ effort is being questioned for the second time this month.

Three weeks after New York Giants defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson called out the cornerback for his “failed” attempt to tackle Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb on a 55-yard touchdown, the 2023 first-round pick is again in the crosshairs for showing lackluster effort on the field.

Rather than trying to chase down scrambling quarterback Jalen Hurts on a critical third-and-7 in the fourth quarter during Sunday’s disheartening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Banks simply stopped hustling.

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Pressure forced Hurts from the pocket and sent him scurrying up the Giants sideline. Meanwhile, Banks — who was covering Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson to start the play — began to chase after Hurts but then throttled down into a jog and didn’t react as Hurts raced across his face.

Instead, Banks coasted out of bounds where Henderson, visibly frustrated, tried to grab him.

Hurts probably added about eight extra yards on that 16-yard scramble that eventually led to the Eagles’ final touchdown of the game. It was an embarrassing play on an embarrassing day for the Giants.

Coach Brian Daboll declined to talk much about the play after the game Sunday — it’s possible he didn’t see it happen in real time as the Giants we preparing to switch quarterbacks — but addressed the situation Monday.

“Obviously, we want maximum effort on every play,” Daboll said. “So, again, we’ve addressed that. We’ll continue to address it, and we’ll make sure it’s better.”

Here’s the recording of today’s live room/therapy session: https://t.co/UFLyBG9loi https://t.co/ffNpzT3bTr

— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) October 21, 2024

Banks seemed to indicate after Sunday’s game that he knows he didn’t do his job the way he is expected to.

“I think I could have made it, but sometimes when you’re in that moment, you just think like, ‘Nah,’” Banks said Sunday. “But I think I could’ve made a tackle.”

Banks added that coaches told him after, “You’re supposed to make it.”

His comments don’t sound too different than how he responded to what happened on the Lamb touchdown in Week 4

“In the game, I thought it was like an angle like thing,” Banks said. “I didn’t think it was an effort until I saw the film. It looked like, ‘Oh, I could (have) had it. I could have done more.’”

The lingering question going forward is how Banks’ lack of effort will play in the Giants locker room. Obviously, Giants coaches aren’t thrilled, but how will Banks’ teammates respond to his poor effort — especially in light of everything else going on with this team?

The starting quarterback was benched — though Daboll said Daniel Jones will remain the starter — while rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers was talking after Sunday’s game about being open and not getting the ball. There’s a lot happening in a season that’s going in the wrong direction and feels like it’s in danger of veering off the rails.

To stop that slide, the Giants need players like Banks to play up to their potential — not coast when things are getting tough.

Banks took over the No. 1 corner job this offseason after the Giants didn’t immediately re-sign Adoree’ Jackson or bring in another top veteran option. He welcomed the challenge, but it’s been an up-and-down second season for Banks, who played well against DK Metcalf and the Seattle Seahawks as well as against Tee Higgins and the Cincinnati Bengals, but has suffered down moments like this against the Cowboys and Eagles. With injuries to Jackson and Dru Phillips this season, there’s been a greater need for Banks to deliver consistently strong performances.

Entering the season, there were a lot of questions about how the Giants secondary would fare, including how Banks would play in his heightened role. But now Banks faces new questions, tops among them: Will he keep failing to finish plays and let this become a destructive pattern?