New York Giants DC Shane Bowen sends message to struggling former first rounder during training camp in make or break season

New York Giants former first-round pick Deonte Banks' career hasn't followed the trajectory many hoped for.

After a rocky second year in the league, Banks finds himself in a battle to start at outside corner opposite free agent Paulson Adebo. Yesterday, the Giants released their first unofficial depth chart of the 2025 season, and the biggest surprise was that both Cor'Dale Flott and Banks were listed as the starting second outside cornerback.

Today, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen clarified this decision to list both players as starters by saying, "I like the growth of Tae. I think competition's been good for both of them."

Is this an indicator that Banks is struggling or that Flott is shining? Considering Banks was a first-round selection, one would assume he'd get more opportunities to improve than Flott. It sounds more like an effort to create competition and motivation for Banks so that he performs better in 2025.

Bowen went on to say about Banks, "He's working. He's competing for the job. He's trying to earn it, just like everybody else is trying to earn their play time."

In a year when everyone's jobs are on the line, especially the coaching staff's, fostering competition is necessary to ensure players are locked in. However, let's examine how Banks got to this spot where he isn't just the assumed starter.

How did we get here with Deonte Banks?

Banks was the Giants' first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, after they selected him 24th overall out of Maryland. As a rookie, he showed flashes of becoming a reliable and potentially dominant outside corner on a talented defense. Despite the Giants struggling as a team in 2023, it looked like they at least had a young piece to build around in their secondary.

Banks's decline in 2024 was steep, creating this concerning position battle with Flott. In 2024, Banks allowed a 68.9% catch percentage when targeted, compared to 2023, when he only allowed a 55.9% catch percentage. Banks only allowed a passer rating of 78.7 in 2023. In 2024, that number shot up to 123.4.

Additionally, Banks allowed 655 yards in 2024 compared to the 551 yards he allowed as a rookie. Disturbingly, he allowed over 100 yards more despite being targeted significantly less last year, seeing 93 targets in 2023 and only 74 in 2024.

Comparatively, Flott wasn't much better statistically last year. Since being selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of LSU, Flott has seen a gradual increase in snaps, going from 505 in 2023 to 637 in 2024. Flott had a similar catch percentage allowed with 65.9% but only allowed a passer rating of 86.9 in 2024.

Ultimately, Banks's regression has been disappointing, but his history of top-level performance should keep Giants fans optimistic that he will bounce back in 2025. We'll see if he can return to that dominant form and win this position battle.