The grace period for 2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks is officially over. When a general manager drops the carefully curated corporate speak to all but admit a major draft blunder publicly, you know nothing good comes next.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton recently released his list of the best players who could still be cut from every NFL roster. To the surprise of just about no one, Banks was named the top candidate for the New York Giants. While using the word “best” to describe a guy who has gone from promising corner to glorified return man is a stretch, the reality is Big Blue has run out of reasons to keep him.
Everything looks worse when you remember the Giants traded up to get him. They moved up one spot in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft to select the former Maryland standout. They moved from No. 25 to No. 24 overall in a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, sending a fifth-round pick (No. 160) and a seventh-round pick (No. 240) to get it done.
Fast forward to this past January, and GM Joe Schoen all but admitted the incompatibility, confessing he was "guilty of drafting a scheme-specific player before, and then coaches come and go, and then maybe those decisions don't work out."
Deonte Banks is running out of time with the Giants
The real issue for the much-aligned defensive back is that the new-look depth chart has left him on the outside looking in.
He already lost his starting spot opposite Paulson Adebo last year to Cor'Dale Flott, who subsequently bolted for the Tennessee Titans in free agency to follow former head coach Brian Daboll.
Instead of ignoring the secondary like they have in the past, the front office aggressively added talent this offseason, drafting Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood in the second round (No. 37 overall) of the 2026 Draft and signing former Browns first-rounder Greg Newsome II to a one-year deal in free agency. Newsome is still only 25 and was the 26th pick back in 2021 -- while the idea of Newsome has always been better than the player, his arrival made it clear that Banks’ role was fading fast.
Moton laid out the harsh reality facing the former Terrapin, writing:
"He [Banks] may need a change of scenery after losing a starting job on the perimeter last offseason. Because of his struggles, the Giants are unlikely to receive premium draft capital if they trade him. Under a new coaching staff, Big Blue is more likely to release Banks in the summer."
Schoen has fallen victim to holding onto players too long because he was unable to accept his failures too many times before. It needs to stop. They did decline his fifth-year option earlier this offseason, suggesting his time in North Jersey is up.
Now just one move remains.
With a new coaching staff in town establishing a new identity, better options on the boundary, and a seemingly limited trade market, parting ways this summer is starting to look like the most realistic outcome left.
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