ClutchPoints
After going just 3-14 a year ago, the New York Giants are one of the top preseason candidates for the most improved team in 2025. However, with the influx of talent the team brought in over the offseason, a few notable veterans could find themselves as surprise roster cuts as the Giants finalize their 53-man unit in the next week.
Few teams were as aggressive and effective in the offseason as the Giants, who came out on top of free agency and the draft. But despite the plethora of high-profile names the team brought in, New York is currently slated to begin the season with just four new starters. The team’s unofficial roster has hardly budged through three weeks of the preseason, but it is potentially on track for seismic changes at the end of August.
Teams have until Aug. 26 to finalize their rosters, and the Giants have several positional battles worth monitoring. New York’s offense has been a fun watch throughout the preseason, but most of its rotational questions come on defense. The team surprisingly has just one new offensive starter — quarterback Russell Wilson — after re-signing Darius Slayton and Greg Van Roten in free agency.
Cornerback is the most pressing matter, with the team currently listing its CB2 as “Deonte Banks or Cor’Dale Flott.” The defensive line has also raised eyebrows, with Kayvon Thibodeaux listed as a starting defensive end, joining Dexter Lawrence II and Rakeem Nunez-Roches up front.
Roster cuts are a notoriously difficult time of year, but the Giants face a particularly challenging situation in 2025. The team could cut ties with a few surprising names once the decisions are official.
Two years into his career, Deonte Banks has not been the player the Giants thought they had. After impressing as a rookie, Banks took multiple steps back in 2024, putting him in danger of losing his starting job ahead of his third season. If he is not careful, Banks could lose more than just his place in the starting lineup.
Statistically, Banks improved in some areas in 2024. He recorded 13 pass breakups, two more than he had as a rookie, and forced a fumble for the first time in his career. Regardless, he was much more of a liability in coverage than he was an asset, allowing a 124.7 passer rating when thrown to.
However, even with Banks’ struggles in coverage, Brian Daboll’s biggest issue with him seemed to be a lack of effort more than anything else. Banks missed four tackles on the year, but one particular whiff against the Pittsburgh Steelers put him in the most trouble. After completely blowing a tackle against Najee Harris, Daboll benched him for the remainder of the team’s Week 8 loss.
Despite the benching, Banks returned to the starting lineup the following week. Yet, he now finds himself in a positional battle with Flott, who has been his backup for the last two years.
Banks is clearly the better player...
