Giants’ Deonte Banks Faces ‘Clean Slate’ and $12M Decision Amid Looming Roster Pressure

The coaches appear to have early optimism regarding Banks

Giants defensive coordinator Dennar Wilson believes Banks has it in him to become a solid player.

“I remember evaluating him coming out. He's a Maryland Terp, and I'm a Maryland Terp. I had just a little bit of background with him,” Wilson told reporters earlier this month.

“He's a talented player. He's big. He can run. He brings an element of physicality, but he's had an up-and-down career thus far. For us, it’s coming in with a clean slate. That's everybody on this defense,” he said.

Wilson emphasized that everyone is getting a clean slate, and it doesn’t matter where they were drafted or how they were acquired.  

“We’re trying to evaluate the players, see what they do well, and we're trying to teach them our way of football,” he said.

“In terms of Banks, I think we have two great DB coaches in (defensive pass coordinator/secondary coach) Donald (D’Alesio) and (defensive backs coach) Addison (Lynch), who do an excellent job in teaching DB play, footwork, technique, and eyes.  

“Tae will have the opportunity to go out there and get better. We're going to put things on his plate, try to make things as simple as they can be in terms of conceptual teaching, and that's for everybody.”

Head coach John Harbaugh, who earlier in his coaching career worked with defensive backs and now with the Giants will undoubtedly have a say in whether Banks’s option is picked up. He got his first opportunity to see the player on the field in person at this past week’s voluntary minicamp.

“There are guys in (the cornerback room) there with opportunities,” Harbaugh said.

“I'm looking at Tae (Banks). Tae, he hasn't played that great–he'll tell you that. But is he capable of playing a lot better? I think he is. That's on us and on him to get him to play better. So imagine if he takes this step, and what does that do for the room?”

The good news for Banks is that he appears to have made a favorable impression on Harbaugh, at least so far.

“I thought Tae looked really good last week. So that's the kind of thing I'm going on,” he said. “I don't really care what the perception was a year ago or two years ago. I'm looking at what I see.”

Although all appears to bode well for Banks, the addition of Colton Hood in the draft and Greg Newsome II in free agency puts the former Maryland cornerback on notice.

“You'd better be ready. You'd better be ready to compete,” Harbaugh said of the cornerbacks.