The New York Giants have been urged to trade Deonte Banks for the better part of the last two seasons, but Joe Schoen never truly considered it. The Giants traded up for the young cornerback in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and the Banks we saw in his rookie season could still be in there.
When Wink Martindale was the defensive coordinator, he looked destined to become a superstar in a defense that fit his skillset, but nobody could've expected what came next. Shane Bowen set his development back beyond belief, and the rollercoaster has been ongoing for the last two years.
Now that Banks is set to work with his third defensive coordinator in four seasons, a trade should feel inevitable, but there's still a lot of meat left on the bone here. And thankfully, John Harbaugh appears content to see things through with the 25-year-old after he stood out during mandatory minicamp.
The Giants have no reason to trade Deonte Banks before the season
Bleacher Report's Moe Moton recently pitched one trade every NFL team should make before the start of the season, and for the Giants, he pitched they end the Banks experiment once and for all, allowing him a fresh start with a new team in exchange for a late-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
"The Giants may not be eager to trade a recent first-round pick for a Day 3 selection," Moton wrote. "However, Banks is unlikely to regain a starting role in the secondary. Big Blue signed Greg Newsome II and drafted Colton Hood in the second round this year."
While Moton's logic about his place on the depth chart is sound, Big Blue has no incentive to trade Deonte Banks. It wasn't that long ago that he was the 24th overall pick in the draft, and trading him before he ever plays a game in Dennard Wilson's system (that's similar to Wink's) would be a mistake.
Yes, the Giants signed Greg Newsome and drafted Colton Hood, but if anything, that's another reason they should keep Banks. They don't have to feel forced to give him legit snaps since Dru Phillips will start in the nickel and Hood should be the second starting outside corner next to Paulson Adebo.
At this point, the Maryland product may be the CB5 on the depth chart, and the G-Men parting with him for a late Day 3 pick isn't really worth it. He gave them some special teams value down the stretch last season, and he still has some untapped potential the Giants shouldn't give up on as a depth CB.
It's not like Deonte Banks will get dealt in exchange for some franchise-altering return, so rather than allowing him to flourish elsewhere in a contract year, the New York Giants should remember the motto you can never have too much depth.
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