The New York Giants' cornerback battle was supposed to be tight. Deonte Banks and Cor’Dale Flott entered camp neck and neck, splitting reps and getting a real shot to claim the CB2 job. But when the dust settled, only one of them was still standing. Because, as cliché as it sounds, availability really is the best ability — and Banks just wasn’t available enough.
Flott didn’t need long to show he was ready. By the time preseason wrapped up, the job basically handed itself over. Banks was nursing a rib injury that kept him out of back-to-back games, while Flott kept stacking wins on the field. The battle might have been considered a toss-up, but by the time Thursday night’s 42-10 beatdown over the Patriots ended, it was anything but.
There’s no sugarcoating it for Banks. The third-year corner had every opportunity to lock it down this summer, and between injuries and poor play, he couldn't. That’s really the baseline — and he missed it. Meanwhile, Flott took every snap like it meant something and made sure nothing went unnoticed.
Cor’Dale Flott just won the Giants’ most important position battle
The conversation changed a while ago. Against the Jets, Flott logged 18 coverage snaps, broke up a pass, and finished with an 83.5 Pro Football Focus grade. He backed it up with another pass defensed against the Pats to close out the preseason.
He looked every bit a starting corner while he was out there.
Banks, on the other hand, stayed sidelined. Again. His rib injury couldn’t have hit at a worse time. He already lost ground after Garrett Wilson cooked him in joint practices. Add in two-plus years of talking about the same lingering issues — head turns, missed tackles, lapses in effort — and it’s not hard to see where this is heading.
New York's assistant general manager Brandon Brown even hinted at it to the media. This staff doesn’t care about your draft pedigree. If you can’t play, you don’t play. Right now, the guy taken 81st is outplaying the first-rounder. Simple as that.
Flott might not be a household name, but he earned the job. This wasn’t handed to him. And the Giants should feel good about how it shook out.
Don't just take our word for it... Big Blue Nation has decided the winner as well:
Cor'Dale Flott CB2
— Elijah Chatman Szn 🗽 (@ch518906) August 22, 2025
Cor'Dale Flott has looked excellent on this drive, he might be in the lead for the CB2 job right now honestly #NYG
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) August 22, 2025
Cor'Dale FLott had nice coverage there on the pass to Jiles.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 22, 2025
I think he's been the more impressive corner outside Adebo. Curious who ends up getting that job -- he or Deonte Banks.
Fans will find out soon enough who officially gets the CB2 nod once cuts are finalized. But for now, it sure looks like Flott has the upper hand. Whoever ends up with the job, the Giants will need that corner spot locked down if they want to keep the preseason momentum rolling into games that actually count.