All eyes on Deonte Banks as he gets another Giants chance

Sometimes one word is just that — one word. Sometimes the way that one word is uttered makes all the difference.  Get texts from Paul Schwartz with all the latest Giants news and insights, exclusive to Sports+ subscribers.Addison Lynch, the first-year Giants defensive backs coach, responded with only one word when asked if, in his limited time working with Deonte Banks, it was easy to see why Banks was a former first-round draft pick.

Lynch turned one word into a four-syllable declaration. “Ab … so … lute … ly,’’ Lynch said. That word can also be used to answer this question: Has Deonte Banks been a terrible first-round pick by the Giants? After a promising 2023 rookie season, Banks dropped into the realm of bust status and it certainly would have been understandable if new head coach John Harbaugh preferred that his first Giants roster did not include a failed draft pick who at times showed a glaring lack of hustle as he played his way down the depth chart.Harbaugh, though, is all in on at least giving Banks a chance to make the team and prove that his career can be salvaged by tapping into his athletic pedigree. “He has the intangibles,’’ Lynch told The Post.

“You see it in his body.He’s big, he’s fast, he can tackle, he can jump, he can catch.

So it’s my job to put him in the best positions to be able to bring those intangibles out all the time.Mama and daddy gave him a lot of skills so my job is to make mama and daddy’s skill set shine on the field on Sundays.’’ Lynch is one of the key newcomers on Harbaugh’s coaching staff tasked with extracting whatever value Banks can add to the 2026 Giants.

Lynch is Banks’ direct position coach.Donald D’Alesio is the passing game coordinator and secondary coach.

Dennard Wilson is the defensive coordinator.All three are new to the Giants and arrived knowing Banks only as a college prospect.

This is part of the clean-slate approach Harbaugh insisted he and his staff will ...