During last week’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants second-year cornerback Deonte Banks showed a lack of energy when chasing Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
By his own admission, Banks said he could have made the tackle but did not, giving up the play. It was a punishing incident of sorts, but Banks ended up starting Monday’s game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
After a missed tackle on Steelers running back Najee Harris just before halftime, Daboll had seen enough. An exchange then occurred on the sideline, and the coach informed Banks that Greg Stroman, whom the Giants had recently promoted from the practice squad, would be his replacement.
Banks said after the game that he didn’t know why he was ejected in the second half.
“I think he said it was a missed tackle,” Banks said, via the New York Post. “He didn’t tell me what was really going on. He just told me to be ready…I didn’t think I played badly, but it wasn’t my choice. Ta.”
Banks was criticized not once but twice for his lax approach to some plays. Against Dallas this season, Banks appeared to not give up as many points as he should, scoring a 55-yard touchdown on a long reception by Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
After the Giants lost by five points, position coach Jerome Henderson stopped Banks on the sideline.
There’s no word on the cornerback’s future status, but Banks is a former first-round pick and the Giants are building their secondary around him. If he can’t provide the leadership needed to do that, it’s just going to be thrown into this growing dumpster fire of a team again.
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This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants’ Brian Daboll finally retires, benching Deonte Banks
