Deonte Banks finds himself in Giants training camp starting battle after two rough seasons

Observations from Thursday’s camp.

Banks On It!

Even in a 140-minute walkthrough with no full-speed periods, Deonte Banks, Greg Newsome II, Paulson Adebo and Colton Hood continued to rotate through the first-team defense.

Banks getting a look as a possible starting cornerback is a merit-based surprise after his two bust-worthy seasons.

Fighting Spirit

WR Xavier Gipson and CB Nic Jones exchanged punches at the end of the final play of practice. Both players were still wearing their helmets, risking a hand injury.

Teammates jumped in to separate them. Head coach John Harbaugh said it “seemed like much ado about nothing” and joked that players were eager to end practice, so they picked up Gipson and Jones and carried them to the circle.

New York Giants’ Jason Pinnock (25), cornerback Deonte Banks (2) and safety Tyler Nubin (27) take a break during training camp at the Greenbrier on Thursday, August 6, 2026, in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

Caught My Eye

WR Malik Nabers and S Tyler Nubin bumped into each other during a hold-your-breath moment that both survived unscathed.

Nabers clocked his most time on the field in camp because of the length of the installation periods and jogging speed of the walk-through. It highlighted that Nabers hasn’t been wearing the do-not-touch red jersey.

Injury Report

CB Dru Phillips suffered a mild knee sprain and will be sidelined for “a little bit,” per Harbaugh. Jones and Ar’Darius Washington will fill in the slot. CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse has a more lingering knee injury, Harbaugh said. OLB Brian Burns and WR Malachi Fields returned to practice.