You could make a laundry list of all of the New York Giants players who are better off with John Harbaugh and a much-improved coaching staff. A renewed energy has been infectious throughout 1925 Giants Drive, and this new staff has jolted several once-hopeless players right back to life.
In terms of guys who could use a lifeline after Shane Bowen was fired, 2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks was at the top of the list. After an uber-impressive rookie season under Wink Martindale, spending the last two seasons with Bowen has evaporated the impressive youngster we once saw.
He turned into a complete liability on the back-end to the point that New York could only get value out of Banks when they moved him to special teams at the end of last season. A man who was once looked at as the future of this secondary is now buried on the depth chart. Talk about a fall from grace.
However, the game-changer Banks was in 2023 looks to still be in there, and the Giants are giving him one last shot to return to that player in a new system.
Deonte Banks could be in for a bounce-back season with Giants in 2026
Despite entering a contract year, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer is making sure to pump the brakes on the narrative that Banks is as good as gone next offseason. Breer reported that the 25-year-old has responded from such a rough season with a nice spring, and he could be in for a bounce-back year.
"Maybe there is still hope for Deonte Banks with the Giants?" Breer wrote. ... "The fourth-year pro has responded with a nice spring, flashing confidence that seemed to have left him, and may be a product of going back to a system, run by John Harbaugh’s new [defensive coordinator] Dennard Wilson, that’s like [Wink] Martindale’s.
Breer didn't just mention that the former 24th overall pick has had a strong spring. He noted that Banks has started to flash the confidence that was more invisible than Jessica Alba's character in Fantastic Four across the last couple of seasons. It's the post-Bowen development we were all hoping for and expecting.
The big difference for Banks is the system in which Big Blue will run under new DC Dennard Wilson. As a pair of former Maryland defensive backs, their relationship has hit the ground running. Bowen's system set back Banks' development, and eventually killed his confidence, which is why his fifth-year option wasn't picked up after the selection of Colton Hood in the draft.
The young corner was drafted in the first round by the G-Men because he has the physicality and tenacity to thrive in Martindale's system, and since he and Wilson both spent time with Harbaugh in Baltimore, they run a similar system, which will hopefully unlock the version of Banks we saw in 2023.
According to Pro Football Focus, Banks' 42.4 PFF grade ranked 112th of 114 qualified cornerbacks in 2025, while his 45.0 coverage grade ranked 110th. He was truly horrible, so things can only get better, right?
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