Deonte Banks attended the University of Maryland, and the Washington Commanders had a need at cornerback with the 16th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Instead of drafting the local product, Washington opted for Mississippi State string bean Emmanuel Forbes. Banks went to the New York Giants, and he was part of the effort to drive the Commanders to the brink of a regime change in a 31-19 victory on Sunday.
In a live stream of sorts afterwards, you could tell Banks felt a type of way about Washington passing him up.
Just so Banks and the Giants don’t get too big for their britches: Banks had the audacity to ask whether or not Washington wideout Terry McLaurin even played. Umm…yes he did? And he had five catches for 43 yards. Not great for Scary Terry.
Then again, I feel like it’s more on the Commanders struggling to get him the ball than anything the G-Men schemed up to stop him. But that’s neither here nor there.
I feel like Banks hasn’t had the greatest rookie season, yet he’s also in a tough spot. The Giants are a bad team with a bad offense. Hyper-aggressive defensive coordinator Wink Martindale leaves his corners on an island with frequent blitzes. That’s tough on a first-year player, even for someone as physically gifted as Banks who was selected with the 24th overall pick.
But hey, disclaimer about Washington’s dumpster fire status notwithstanding, I love this competitive fire from Banks overall. Anything that gets you going and gives you an edge, right? Too often division rivalries are lame and tame these days. It’s awesome that there’s a little competition brewing between Banks and Forbes to see how their careers pan out. These teams get to square off twice a season, which are opportunities Banks evidently savors.
Part of the reason Banks can talk this kind of smack is the sudden shot in the arm the G-Men got offensively with Tommy DeVito under center. Who would’ve thunk it!?
Sure, DeVito still got sacked an unsustainable amount of times, but so what?
Deonte Banks and the Giants are BURYING a division rival and pretty much guaranteeing that new Commanders owner Josh Harris will clean house this offseason.
