Giants’ Brian Daboll Breaks Silence on Deonte Banks Benching vs. Steelers

The New York Giants fell to 2-6 on the season after a 26-18 loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football, and within the defeat was yet another high-profile benching as former first-round cornerback Deonte Banks was pulled for gameday practice squad elevation Greg Stroman.

“Just thought, during that series, we needed a little bit more,” head coach Brian Daboll told reporters after the game. “Had a conversation with [Banks] and went with the other guys.”

Later, Daboll did confirm that the talented second-year player will likely still serve as one of the starting cornerbacks in Week 9, but he wasn’t willing to guarantee it without going through a week of preparation first.

“He’ll bounce back,” the Giants HC said, regarding Banks.

Despite recent events involving Banks, Daboll would not attribute his benching to a lack of effort on Monday night. Although he did note that the youngster has to “tighten up” a few things “detail-wise” — with the CB himself revealing that the Giants HC told him he “has to tackle better” (per New York Daily News reporter Pat Leonard).

“I know he will,” Daboll added confidently, sidestepping the final couple of questions on this decision.

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Dexter Lawrence Caught ‘Screaming’ at Giants DBs vs. Steelers

At one point in the game, defensive team leader and star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence wasn’t thrilled with the performance by the Giants’ DBs either.

“Dexter Lawrence looked like he was screaming at members of the Giants’ secondary on the sideline just now,” Leonard relayed on X when the moment occurred just after 9 p.m. (EST). “Getting tense over there. Wow. Never seen that kind of emotion from [Lawrence]. Saw [defensive backs coach] Jerome Henderson and the corners talking back.”

Daboll would not say whether or not Banks’ benching had anything to do with that disagreement on the sidelines, but he did comment on it briefly during his postgame press conference.

“Look, there’s a lot of competitors on the team, and [Lawrence] was just hammering on the details,” the NYG head coach explained.

Earlier in the week, Lawrence was vocal about Banks giving up on plays and tackles in previous outings.

“It’s not acceptable,” Lawrence said on October 24. “[Banks] knows it. We addressed it and that’s the type of thing that — we don’t accept it as a defense.”

Before the Steelers benching, Banks was already criticized by media and fans for two separate incidents that were similar. His positional coach, the aforementioned Henderson, has also spoken out publicly and voiced that his effort level was unacceptable on those two occurrences.

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Giants Community Reacts to Deonte Banks Benching

The Banks reactions poured in on X throughout the game.

“Giants CB Deonte Banks is still not on the field,” FOX Sports reporter Ralph Vacchiano detailed. “Hard to tell for sure from TV, but I think his last play was when Steelers RB Najee Harris hurdled him in the first half.”

Later, a fan weighed in: “Get ready for the Deonte Banks trade rumors to start. Was drafted for [Wink] Martindale’s man heavy scheme and played well. [Shane] Bowen runs much more zone. So there are better fits out there for Banks. One benching doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be traded however.”

“Joe Schoen’s 2023 Draft Class is looking worse and worse by the day,” another commented, and a third user said: “Love what I’m seeing from Greg Stroman so far. At least he shows effort unlike Deonte Banks.”

On the flip side, another observer questioned: “Brian Daboll willing to sit deonte banks but not Daniel Jones makes a lot of sense.” And others credited Banks with saving a touchdown when he pushed Steelers wide receiver George Pickens out of the back of the end zone.

Finally, one NYG supporter wrote: “Who knows if the benching of Deonte Banks was for tonight or beyond, but the Giants track record of drafting 1st round CB’s hasn’t been very kind to them in the last 10 years. It’s shaping up to be another draft disappointment if Banks doesn’t pull it together fast.”

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