Deonte Banks has not come especially near living as much as his first-round draft slot. The Giants declined the cornerback’s fifth-year option in May. Although Cor’Dale Flott joined the Titans in free agency, the Giants made two significant cornerback investments — free agent Greg Newsome and second-round pick Colton Hood — in Banks’ contract 12 months. Recent Giants secondary coach Addison Lynch said (via the Recent York Post’s Paul Schwartz) that Banks’ first-round traits are “absolutely” visible, but Schwartz adds the Giants is not going to save a roster spot for the corner if he only profiles as a kick-return option.
Newsome worked opposite Paulson Adebo because the boundary CB starter in the course of the Giants’ offseason program, Schwartz adds. The previous Browns and Jaguars corner joins Banks and Hood in vying for the job. Banks entered a 3rd season as a starter last 12 months but saw Flott replace him. Flott joined the Titans on a three-year, $45MM contract, but Newsome and Hood being added by the John Harbaugh-led regime makes Banks’ status price monitoring ahead of the August roster-setting deadline. Banks is due a guaranteed $2.6MM base salary and counts $4.32MM on the Giants’ cap sheet.
Here is the most recent from NFL secondaries weeks away from training camp:
- A 12 months after losing Adebo, the Saints saw Alontae Taylor depart in free agency. Taylor joins Flott in Tennessee, signing a three-year deal price $58MM. The team’s offseason program brought a mixture of Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley at outside cornerback, in keeping with ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell. The Saints looked into adding a corner early within the draft — to the purpose the Chiefs traded in front of them for LSU’s Mansoor Delane — but they did sign former Browns starter Martin Emerson. The ex-Cleveland perimeter starter might be heard from in training camp, but he joins Julian Blackmon as Saints DB vets coming off a missed season. Emerson suffered an Achilles tear last summer.
- Jonas Sanker, who spent the majority of his time at free safety last season, frequently saw work within the slot during Recent Orleans’ offseason work, Terrell adds. A 2025 third-round pick, Sanker stepped in after Blackmon suffered a season-ending injury last summer. The Saints re-signed Blackmon shortly after the season, Terrell adds the previous Colts starter worked alongside Justin Reid as a security starter during 11-on-11 drills at minicamp. DC Brandon Staley viewed Sanker as a clear-cut candidate to switch Taylor, who logged 924 slot snaps from 2024-25, and it looks like that will likely be the Saints’ plan for the second-year player.
- Dolphins first-round pick Chris Johnson saw time inside and on the boundary in the course of the Dolphins’ offseason program. The Dolphins need assistance at each spots, and ESPN.com’s Marcel Louis-Jacques notes the San Diego State product will fill certainly one of them as a rookie-year starter. We now have heard about slot and perimeter roles for Johnson this offseason, nevertheless it appears clear a skinny Miami secondary will turn to the No. 27 overall pick as a first-stringer.
- Had Justin Simmons chosen to play in 2025, the previous All-Pro safety would have joined the Panthers. The recently retired standout, who played for the Falcons in 2024 after eight Broncos seasons, told veteran insider Jordan Schultz he got here closest to joining Carolina — which might have brought a reunion with ex-Denver DC Ejiro Evero — last season. Simmons said he spoke most incessantly to the Panthers a few role last 12 months, with conversations extending into the season. Mentioning how his Atlanta stay was difficult for his family, Simmons said he was only all for joining a Super Bowl contender last 12 months. Although Simmons was drafted by a defending Super Bowl champion in 2016, he never played in a postseason game in nine seasons. The 33-year-old finished his profession as a four-time All-Pro, nevertheless.