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Giants Receive Bad News on Key Defender on Wednesday
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- Giants Receive Bad News on Key Defender on Wednesday
(Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)
One area in which the New York Giants could certainly use extra bodies is cornerback, but the position has not been as much of a disaster as most anticipated.
In fact, the Giants have been so impressed with their secondary play that they just awarded Greg Newsome II with a three-year, $46 million contract extension on Tuesday, preventing him from reaching free agency after the season.
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New York also offered a very similar deal to fellow cornerback Deonte Banks ... only to have it rejected.
ESPN's Jordan Raanan and Giants Nation host Bobby Skinner have revealed that the Giants offered Banks an extension with the same structure with slightly less money, but Banks wasn't interested.
Because New York declined Banks' fifth-year option on his rookie deal, that means the former first-round pick will be hitting the open market come March.
Banks was a massive disappointment for the Giants over his first three seasons, so much so that he played in just 44 percent of the team's defensive snaps last year.
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However, John Harbaugh and new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson clearly saw something in the 25-year-old, who certainly fits Wilson's press-heavy scheme.
Banks performed well throughout Big Blue's offseason program and was ultimately awarded a starting job over Paulson Adebo, and the decision has paid dividends .
The University of Maryland product has registered 20 tackles, a game-winning pick-six and 10 passes defended in five games this season (he missed a couple of games with a calf injury), posting a very solid 69.1 coverage grade at Pro Football Focus.
The fact that the Giants attempted to lock up Banks is a clear indication that they seriously value him as part of their long-term future, but don't think for a second that teams around the league aren't also watching the youngster.
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Now, it should be noted that Banks is obviously scheme-dependent, so he wouldn't be fit on every NFL team. But squads that employ similar coverage schemes to New York may take a run at him this spring.
The Giants selected Colton Hood in the second round of the NFL Draft last April, so worst-case scenario, New York could just replace Banks with Hood and then draft another corner. But Hood has also struggled in limited action this year, so it wouldn't be such a simple transition for the G-Men.
Hopefully, the Giants are able to get something done with Banks after the season. There's no question he has been a breakout piece in 2026.
