Deonte Banks Repays Giants’ Faith With Standout Night Against Cowboys

Deonte Banks turned his strong training camp into a strong Sunday night, recording four tackles and two passes defended as the Giants beat the Cowboys 28-20.

Banks, a former first-round pick whose career had stalled to the point that he played zero defensive snaps in two December games last season, started at cornerback over Paulson Adebo. The decision had been visible on the practice field and on the unofficial depth chart for weeks before it became official on game day.

Safety Jevón Holland praised Banks’ turnaround. “I think Deonte did a great job,” Holland said. “I love his energy, I love his demeanor, I love how he treats his teammates. He earned that job for a reason, and I think everybody in the facility would tell you the same thing.”

The night wasn’t perfect. Banks gave up a 1-yard touchdown catch to CeeDee Lamb in the second quarter, and a safety appeared to be shouting at him about his alignment earlier in that same drive. He also dealt with cramping that pulled him in and out of the game in the second half.

Still, Banks showed a level of effort chasing the ball, particularly against the run, that had been missing over his previous two difficult seasons. He kept a receiver inbounds during the two-minute drill to help run the clock and broke up a pass that could have set up a field goal attempt before halftime.

Adebo, who carries a team-high $21.4 million salary-cap hit as general manager Joe Schoen’s marquee 2025 free-agent signing, was outperformed over the summer by both Banks and 2026 free-agent addition Greg Newsome II.

Banks’ path back included a stint returning kickoffs last season simply to hold value on the roster, a role he kept Sunday night.

Other defensive and roster notes

Cornerback Dru Phillips, who led the Giants defense with nine penalties last season and ranked 15th in the NFL in penalties, was flagged for three defensive pass interference calls against Dallas. Ar’Darius Washington is pushing for playing time behind him.

Bronx native Jose Alvarado, the backup point guard on the Knicks’ championship run, was honored on the field during the second quarter.

The Giants’ inactive list included tight end Thomas Fidone II, offensive lineman J.C. Davis, defensive tackle Bobby Jamison-Travis, cornerback Nic Jones, safety Jason Pinnock, running back Najee Harris and wide receiver Dalen Cambre. Cambre had been added to the 53-man roster Saturday as insurance in case Malik Nabers couldn’t play, and he went through a full pregame warmup before Nabers’ availability was confirmed roughly 90 minutes before kickoff.

Harris’ scratch drops him to fourth on a running back depth chart that could keep shifting between Devin Singletary and Tyrone Tracy Jr., who fumbled in the red zone on his second carry of the season.