The New York Giants will visit the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Monday Night Football in Week 2, where they will look to continue a hot start under head coach John Harbaugh. However, it remains unclear if cornerback Deonte Banks will take the field.
Banks got banged up in a Week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys and missed the final two practices of the week.
New York will enter the game surprisingly healthy with some caveats. Cornerback Paulson Adebo has been placed on injured reserve (IR), while Banks and linebacker Micah McFadden are questionable.
Deonte Banks injury update
Banks started the week as a limited participant in practice due to a calf injury, but was sidelined during each session on Friday and Saturday. Harbaugh didn't initially
raise any alarm bells, but he is intentionally vague when it comes to injury issues.
"Yeah, day-to-day, I would say, is where he's at. We'll see where it goes," he said of Banks on Friday.
The good news is that Banks traveled with the team to Inglewood.
Will Deonte Banks play vs. Rams?
The Giants offered precious few updates on Banks throughout the week other than Harbaugh's "day-to-day" comments. However, ESPN's Jordan Raanan said "it doesn't look good" for Banks on Monday night.
That doesn't necessarily mean Banks won't play, but he was trending in the wrong direction throughout the week. The fact that he traveled leaves some lingering hope that he will start, but like wide receiver Malik Nabers last week, it's very much a "we'll see" situation.
It's likely to be a game-time decision for Banks.
Who would replace Deonte Banks in the lineup?
If Banks sits out on Monday night, the Giants will have two positions to address: Cornerback and kick returner.
First up would have been Adebo, who appears to have lost his starting job to Banks out of training camp, but as noted above, he's currently on IR. Greg Newsome II, who is dealing with a rib injury, will remain in his role as CB1. That leaves rookie Colton Hood or newly signed Nikko Reed to step in for Banks and Adebo.
The Giants' once solid depth at cornerback has vanished with Adebo, Korie Black, Thaddeus Dixon, Rico Payton, and Jarrick Bernard-Converse all having been placed on IR.
With Calvin Austin and Gunner Olszewski also on IR, that limits the Giants' options to replace Banks at kick returner. The likely "next man up" would be running back Tyrone Tracy Jr.
"Just gives us the running back, the vision. A guy, again, that can run returns downhill. They're downhill plays. And a guy that can bounce off tackles," special teams coordinator Chris Horton said of Tracy this week. "You know, it's kind of the same thing that you see from all our returners. We just want guys that have a lot of skill, guys that can make plays on their own, and guys that can make people miss in the hole. Because a lot of times it's going to be one guy that you might have to make miss."
Another option would be wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who is likely to be elevated from the practice squad.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Will New York Giants CB Deonte Banks play vs. Los Angeles Rams?
