The Indianapolis Colts are one of the top teams in the NFL right now. They are second overall in the standings, with only the Denver Broncos ahead of them. With the Colts set to face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, their 7-2 record could improve to 8-2, tying them once again with the Broncos.
The Colts walked away from this past week’s trade deadline as one of the biggest movers and shakers. They shipped off promising wide receiver AD Mitchell, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2027 first-round pick for elite corner Sauce Gardner.
However, the Colts could have traded for a different corner. They could have acquired Deonte Banks, whose career has not been as successful as Gardner’s. This could have been a big regret for the team.
Colts Looked at Other Corners Before Landing Sauce Gardner
The trade deadline is always a busy day, no matter which NFL team you are. In 2025, the Colts were no exception. Owning one of the best offenses in the league, they needed to make a move to shore up the defensive side of the ball.
ESPN has a new report detailing two players the Colts considered before selecting Gardner.
“The market was drying up — they checked into Deonte Banks of the New York Giants and New Orleans’ Alontae Taylor — and perhaps that drove up the price for Gardner,” Rich Cimini wrote for ESPN on November 7, 2025. “Anticipating January home games, they wanted to prepare for visiting passing attacks that would look to exploit the comfy indoor conditions at Lucas Oil Stadium.”
Taylor, 26, is coming off a season that saw him reach career-highs in multiple categories. The 26-year-old cornerback landed 61 solo tackles, 28 assisted tackles, and four sacks in 17 games. This season, he has 44 tackles and one sack through nine games with the New Orleans Saints.
Banks, 24, is a less proven commodity. The Giants’ cornerback has 21 tackles in nine games this season. He burst onto the scene during his rookie year, landing 64 tackles to go along with two interceptions.
Deonte Banks Has Struggled This Season
The interest in Banks has some analysts in shock. Specifically, one contributor at Sports Illustrated explained the struggles Banks has faced.
“Banks has gone from being a promising-looking prospect as a rookie in which he posted career-bests in tackles (56), stops (17), reception percentage allowed (57.6%), touchdowns allowed (4), and coverage rating (84.7) to having lost his starting job,” Patricia Traina wrote on November 7. “His play-time this year consisting of early-season rotation with Cor’Dale Flott and as an injury fill-in for Paulson Adebo. The Colts’ reported interest in Banks likely stems from their defensive backs coach.”
“Jerome Henderson, when with the Giants, admitted to banging the table for the former Maryland defender.”
This season has seen Banks be called out for his lack of effort on specific plays, causing concern for the coaching staff.
“This year, the questionable effort by Banks has continued,” Traina continued. “In the Giants’ loss to the 49ers last Sunday, Banks had a chance to slow down 49ers running back Brian Robinson on a fourth-quarter 18-yard touchdown run. However, he served up a bad attempt at making a tackle and was too easily tossed to the ground like a rag doll.”
Last season, the Giants’ head coach, Brian Daboll, “called the cornerback out publicly for what he viewed as a poor effort,” Traina reports in her November 7th piece.
While no player is perfect, having a coach publicly call out your play and then not playing better is not exactly a green flag. For right now, it appears that the Colts dodged a bullet and avoided a band-aid solution.
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