Big Blue View mailbag: Uniforms, salary cap, Tae Banks, Darius Slayton

James Adams asks: I wanted to ask about Deonte Banks. Coming out of the draft it was said he excels as a physical press man corner. His rookie season wasn’t great but there weren’t any glaring issues and Wink used him as a press man corner. Wink gets fired and Bowen changes the system to a zone coverage and suddenly Banks falls off a cliff. Bad play and poor effort. Was it the players efforts or just poor fit in the defensive scheme? Do you think Banks stopped making effort? Did opposing offenses see something on tape and targeted a weakness? Or was his skill set just not a good fit for the zone? With the Giants new DC installing a more physical press coverage scheme could Banks become what the Giants thought he would be when drafted?

Ed says: James, theoretically it makes sense that Banks would be better in a more aggressive scheme that lets him do more of the things he was drafted to do.

Banks’ problems, though, go beyond that. Maturity. Lack of effort on the field at times. Study habits. Lack of improvement. Lack of accountability — he spent all of last season hiding from media during open locker room periods.

Before Banks can become a good cornerback, he needs mature, be more accountable, put more into learning his craft. I don’t honestly know how much of a real chance he is going to get this summer.

David Gray asks: The gift that keeps giving: The Giants traded Odell Beckham to the Browns for the no. 17 pick and used that pick to draft Dexter Lawrence, which now has turned into Francis Mauigoa. In essence, Odell for seven years of Lawrence and however many years of Mauigoa. What are your thoughts (about the trade) so many years later and the fact that Odell might come back to the Giants?

Ed says: David, turning Beckham into Lawrence was obviously a long-term plus for the Giants. Whether turning Lawrence into Francis Mauigoa is a plus is to be determined.

As for Beckham coming back to the Giants, I still don’t see it. He is a 33-year-old player who did not play last year and has diminished skills and atheticism from the player Giants fans remember. If he signed he would probably enter training camp as WR6 behind Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin, and Malachi Fields.

A wide receiver that far down the depth chart should give you something on special teams. Beckham won’t, and you might be sacrificing someone like Gunner Olszewski, Dalen Cambre, or Ryan Miller. Maybe even Isaiah Hodgins.

In my view, the juice just isn’t likely to be worth the squeeze.

Leonard Huber asks: I was surprised to read about Slayton’s core muscle surgery that will be sidelining him for a bit. Ed, were you also surprised? I’m wondering if it was a lingering problem from last season, and a factor in Slayton’s subpar performance. What do you think?

Ed says: Leonard, yes, I was surprised. I think it is always surprising when we learn about an injury like this in the offseason. If the injury occurred last season, I would think it would have been dealt with long before now.

I am also going to push back on the idea that Slayton had a “subpar performance in 2025. He had 37 receptions and 538 receiving yards in 14 games after having 39 receptions and 573 yards in 16 games in 2024. He averaged 2.6 catches per games last season after averaging 2.4 in 2024.

Go to his Pro Football Reference page and you see that all of his numbers are basically slightly above or slightly below his seven-year career averages. His drop rate increased a little bit, but 2025 Slayton was what he has always been.

Ciro Scalera asks: BBV reported that, in addition to your opinion, the consensus grades from several analysts was that the Giants got an A to A- for this draft. Now other, non-BBV writers, are posting articles that a number of the Giants top picks have flaws, so called NFL executives criticize the Giants for having no plan with the draft etc, etc. Is this just the silly season for NFL reporting? What gives?

Ed says: Ciro, everyone has an opinion. I wouldn’t put too much weight into the good grades, or into the criticism by a random, unnamed league excutive.

Every player in the NFL has flaws. Every human being has flaws. Yes, writers need content when things slow down. I don’t know who is saying the Giants had no plan. It was pretty clear they wanted to get bigger, strongger, more physical. That seems like a plan, and it seems like they executed it.

I always think the opinions of NFL executives are worth taking into account, but it is pretty clear that overall most people who study the draft believe the Giants did well.

Bob Donnelly asks: Since MetLife stadium opened in 2010 it has hosted a grand total of one post season game; the 2011 Wild Card game featuring NYG vs Atlanta. (Super Bowl XLVIII not withstanding.) Do you think we will host another one during the Harbaugh era?

Ed says: Bob, I think the Harbaugh era would be a disappointment if that does not happen. I wouldn’t expect it in 2026, but I do think it will happen at some point.

Martin Hand asks: Ed, I can’t help but thinking that Dart to Fields back shoulder throw will be unstoppable, just like Eli to Plaxico… thoughts?

Ed says: Martin, we are a long way from being able to compaire Malachi Fields to Plaxico Burress, or even Hakeem Nicks. Jaxson Dart is not the most precise deep-ball thrower. He was just 16 of 50 (32%) on throws of more than 20 yards last season. The only starter who was worse was Geno Smith (31.9%). The hope has to be that players like Fields and Isaiah Likely can help in that area with some contested, difficult catches on balls that might not be perfectly placed.

Years from now, if we think of Fields the same way we think of Burress or Nicks that will be a win.

Michael Munger asks: Since it’s always fun to speculate this early about our teams potential, would it be fair to say that with all the talent we have that the biggest obstacle to us making the playoffs and turning things around is health? I know this is simplistic but if the Giants are able to avoid any major injuries we SHOULD contend for the division and at least a Wild Card spot.

Ed says: Michael, this is the time of year to be optimistic and Giants fans should definitely feel that way. I’m not willing to say the Giants should or should not contend for anything. The team has not even gotten on the field for OTAs yet.

I will say I think the Giants have a chance to be better and to contend for the playoffs. They have an accomplished coach and have had a productive offseason. Whether they “should” or “will” contend is something we will have to find out.

Jeff Jacobs asks: With all the changes that  the Giants have made in recent months, there is one change they haven’t made – new (or I should say old) uniforms. I’m surprised that our new head coach  hasn’t moved to a return of the 1980’s era GIANTS uniforms, to invoke a time when the Giants embodied that level of physicality and violence that Harbaugh prizes and has been promising since his introductory new conference. Have you heard any whispers about returning to those classes uniforms? How much lead time does a team need to give the NFL if they want to change their uniforms?

Ed says: Jeff, there are a number of hoops to jump through and it takes a lot longer than you might think. The Atlanta Falcons debuted new uniforms in 2025, and that was a two-year process.

If John Harbaugh wants to update the Giants uniforms, he would not be able to do so unless 2027 at the earliest. Per NFL bylaws, a team that wants to change its uniforms has to notify the league by March 1 of the PREVIOUS year. So, March of 2025 to update the 2026 uniforms. The league would have had to issue approval by December 1 of 2025.

Obviously, Harbaugh was not yet coaching the Giants when last March. Even if the Giants wanted to update uniforms for next year, the league would need to have been notified two months ago. If something like that is in process, it’s been hush-hush to this point.

John Kozel asks: Have to say I am liking the new dynamic between the experienced Head Coach and the sharp, young GM. I’ve liked Schoen but I thought he should have been let go along with Daboll. He is very intelligent, very organized and seems to be a good evaluator of players and staff members. I just could not understand his decision making or vision that seemed to rely on perceived value instead of finding and keeping the best football players. Now with this pairing, the Giants get the benefit of Schoen’s strengths but ultimately letting the better and more experienced “football” person drive the direction of the team. Do you agree with this assessment?

Ed says: John, I do believe you raise a valid point. I think that Schoen as a first-time general manager paired with a first-time head coach in Brian Daboll was a boom or bust scenario. Schoen does have strengths. The Giants’ recent drafts have been good, and has has shown an ability to read the board and make solid assessments regarding how things will play out.

I think that being around someone as experienced and successful as Harbaugh can’t help but make Schoen a better GM, provided he is not set in his ways and is willing to learn. He appears to be.

The two certainly seem to be on the same page, and the bro hug they shared after Round 1 of the draft certainly seemed genuine.

Larry Jamieson asks: Your nice write-up on the UDFA’s had the Giants giving Ryan Schernecke $285,000 and noting that there were several teams interested in him. If he shows anything in the off season, would the Giants risk trying to get him on the practice squad? Draft pick J.C. Davis, who just signed, is also highly regarded, and may not make it to the practice squad. Any speculation how these guys may affect the thinking on who makes the offensive line roster?

Ed says: Larry, whether or not the organization believes players like Schernecke and Davis will make it to the practice squad is always a consideration in setting your roster. Passing a player you want to keep through waivers is always a risk, but circumstances sometimes dictate that you have to do that.

Something to remember is that a team that wants to claim a player like that after cuts are made to 53 players has to give that player a spot on their 53-man roster. Particularly with a Division II player like Schernecke, how many are going to want to commit that to him in Week 1 of his rookie season? It only takes one, of course, but I don’t think there will be many.

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