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

Getty New York Giants first-round cornerback Deonte Banks was benched in Week 8 against the Pittsburgh 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.

“He’ll bounce back,” the Giants HC said, regarding Banks.  When asked, Daboll would not attribute Banks’ benching to a lack of effort, but he did note that the youngster has to “tighten up” a few things “detail-wise.”

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

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,” New York Daily News beat reporter Pat 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, Henderson, has also spoken out publicly and voiced that his effort level was unacceptable on those two occurrences.