‘Locked in’ Tae Banks off to good start after rocky 2024 season

Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen points to “dramatic growth” from 2023 first-round pick

Deonte Banks has gone from CB1 for the New York Giants in 2024 to the biggest question mark in a revamped and vastly improved secondary heading into 2025.

Last season was difficult, and sometimes hard to understand, for the 24-year-old 2023 first-round pick.

Banks, out of necessity, was thrown into the role of covering the opponents’ best receiver. His play on the field, going from allowing 55.2% completions with a 79.6 passer rating against in 2023, to 70.3% completions allowed and a whopping 124.2 passer rating against, showed he clearly wasn’t ready for the role.

So, too, did his emotions.

Then-defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson was critical of Banks’ effort on this Week 4 55-yard touchdown catch by CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys:

A few weeks later, Henderson was again outraged by Banks’ lack of effort on a play against the Philadelphia Eagles:

The following week, Banks was benched mid-game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The odd part about all of that is that nowhere in Banks’ background can you find any previous reference to attitude or effort issues.

Whether Banks’ issues last season were the primary cause or not, Henderson and Mike Treier were fired as defensive backs coaches in the offseason. They were replaced by secondary coach Marquand Manuel and cornerbacks coach Jeff Burris.

So, how has Banks responded to a season that left many with a poor impression of him?

“Dramatic growth”

Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said recently that he has been happy with Banks thus far.

“I think any time you’re dealing with these younger players, he’s going into year three now, there is dramatic growth every year between year one and year two, year two and year three,” Bowen said. “I think that always comes into play. They all grow up a little bit as you’re with them.”

Banks’ athletic profile shows that he has all of the physical tools to be a top-flight player.

Physical tools, though, are only a starting point.

Henderson once said that Banks’ “Football 101” — his knowledge of the game — needed to improve. Bowen indicated that Banks seems to be showing a greater thirst for that knowledge this spring.

“He’s come in, he goes to work every day. Like he’s locked in in meetings. He locked in out here,” Bowen said. “Jeff [Burris] is doing a really good job with him, spending time with him, talking to him, teaching him the game, just the approach. Like the approach, the professionalism, being locked into what we’re asking him to do.

“You notice him asking questions, wanting to know more, wanting to be a little bit more detailed with what we’re asking him to do. So I’m encouraged about the progress he’s made from when he got back here to where we are right now.

“Hopefully we can continue that trajectory throughout the rest of the spring and as we get into training camp.”

Safety Jevon Holland, signed in free agency during the offseason, has been impressed.

“Tae, he’s full of life. He’s a character, but Tae has all the talent in the world and I’m super excited about his upcoming season and what he’s going to do,” Holland said. “I think he’s got great things in him.”

Banks was drafted by the Giants as a press-man coverage cornerback for Wink Martindale’s ultra-aggressive blitzing scheme. As a rookie, he played man coverage on 39.3% of passing downs, seventh-most among 74 qualifiers. For Bowen last season, Banks played man coverage just 32.2% of coverage snaps, 25th of 72 qualifiers. A lot, but not as much.

In their second year together, player and coach know each other better.

“I think a big part, too, for us this year is there is familiarity, there is relationships,” Bowen said. “We were going through all that stuff last year. Now like that stuff is already established and we continue to work and build those things.

“But now we can — there is a little less focus on that, where we can focus more on something else. So I think that’s going to benefit all our guys, not just Tae. But all the guys.”

The addition of Paulson Adebo in free agency as the No. 1 cornerback should also take pressure off Banks.

“Obviously adding Adebo helps,” Bowen said. “Got a proven corner in this league.”

The old saying is that a group is only as good as its weakest link. Right now, on paper, that’s Banks. If he plays the way the Giants thought he could when they traded up to draft him in 2023, the Giants’ secondary could be a true strength in 2025.