Caleb Banks

That was Joe Thuney he was manhandling at times. His growth has been phenomenal to date. A friend mentioned he dropped some weight too. I’ll have to look closer. Arrow is straight up ⬆️. Stack another one vs Tampa.

He feels part of this D now. Check the video right after the Turner game ending sack and Dallas is running downfield and teammates chasing him and there's CB hauling ass to celebrate. And somehow JJM got in there, lol.

edit: here it is....

Banks snaps week one: 16. Banks snaps week two: 36. Good to see Caleb have his breakout game against the team who wanted to draft him.

MaroonBells wrote:

Banks snaps week one: 16. Banks snaps week two: 36. Good to see Caleb have his breakout game against the team who wanted to draft him.

His talent has never been a question. Will his foot be an issue? That’s the million dollar question. I feel like he was a reach in the draft because big men with foot injury history’s is a red flag, but if he stays healthy, he will be a major problem for offensive coordinator’s.

MadSplat wrote:

His talent has never been a question. Will his foot be an issue? That’s the million dollar question. I feel like he was a reach in the draft because big men with foot injury history’s is a red flag, but if he stays healthy, he will be a major problem for offensive coordinator’s.

Agree. It seems foot issues are a bigger problem than knee issues for the big guys. But the Vikings' doctors signed off on it and sounded confident they knew exactly what the problem was and how to keep it from recurring. Fingers crossed because his trajectory is...

I was actually sort of surprised we didn't get hit with a roughing the passer or something on the sack.

MaroonBells wrote:

Banks snaps week one: 16. Banks snaps week two: 36. Good to see Caleb have his breakout game against the team who wanted to draft him.

I think the TID injury forced them to play him more than they may have been planning.

Either way, glad he's improving early on.

Mike Olson wrote:

I was actually sort of surprised we didn't get hit with a roughing the passer or something on the sack.

Me as well, Turner really put him down hard. But the refs kept calm and made the right no-call.

Mike Olson wrote:

I was actually sort of surprised we didn't get hit with a roughing the passer or something on the sack.

I was as well. Turner definitely slammed him down. But maybe the refs were cold and wet and wanted to go home. It wasn't roughing, but I have seen lesser hits called.

greediron wrote:

I was as well. Turner definitely slammed him down. But maybe the refs were cold and wet and wanted to go home. It wasn't roughing, but I have seen lesser hits called.

I think because Turner was still engaged with Loveland and trying to lasso the QB he got the latitude to slam his ass down.

You’ve got to be pretty excited over Banks progress.

TID getting injured increased Banks reps and he ran with it. Banks came with 2 red flags -

1. The foot injury which we have seen zero issues from. This was the likely outcome but the major concern none the less.

2. Due to the injury he was not only raw due to lack of playing time, but didn't flash regularly when playing.

Banks is similar to Dallas Turner although Turner had more pedigree. Banks has elite athleticism and size for DT, while Turners elite speed and quickness is really starting to jump off the page. They both need/needed some time to fully be coached up and get used to the speed of the game and then to let their physical talent take over. Banks was way behind in his endurance, technique. Generally there as an adjustment period of a year or so on the line. The fact he is already starting to manhandle the offensive line a bit is an extremely good sign. My guess is he will continue to get more reps. I like TID but I like Banks upside more.

yes he had some nice plays, there were also a bunch of plays where he was in the wash including one where a TE blocked him. I am happy he got in on some plays but he has a long way to go.

Kmerry82 wrote:

I like TID but I like Banks upside more.

rf54 wrote:

yes he had some nice plays, there were also a bunch of plays where he was in the wash including one where a TE blocked him. I am happy he got in on some plays but he has a long way to go.

Bottom line is our DL rotation is better with both of em...

Violent game, long season!!

I agree with MB that Chi was coveting Banks. I think he'd be their pick (over Thielemann) if he was still available

purplefaithful wrote:

Bottom line is our DL rotation is better with both of em...
Violent game, long season!!
I agree with MB that Chi was coveting Banks. I think he'd be their pick (over Thielemann) if he was still available

Speaking of Thielemann, did he play?

Banks isn’t close to being a finished product yet, but these added reps he got against Chicago because of TID‘s injury are going to prove invaluable moving forward. Remember, part of this is a confidence game… And he sure got some on Sunday.

greediron wrote:

Speaking of Thielemann, did he play?

You go watch the tape, yes still upright in a lot of the plays and yet still holding his own the majority of the time. Yes, its going to be a continual repetitious cycle of lowering pad lever but he honestly is doing better than I expected. He is going to get washed out sometimes, the upside is a pass rushing DT in time that can hold his own on run. Paired with Turner that is a scary proposition.

Caleb Banks

After playing barely more than one dozen snaps in his debut, the No. 18 pick in 2026 received approximately half the defensive reps on Sunday because Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins injured his hip. While there still were instances of Banks adjusting to the NFL — his leverage is a work in progress — he showed why his athleticism, and his size warranted his draft slot.

Banks, first, displayed his ability to push the pocket. On third-and-13 at Minnesota's 38 in the first quarter, he fired off the rock — a smidge late, even — and rampaged past two Bears blockers, before convening on Caleb Williams with Dallas Turner and Levi Drake Rodriguez. Williams, somehow, Houdini'd out of Turner's grasp, twirled left and dashed to the right and up the sideline for a pickup of 6, but it was a promising rush by the Vikings top draft choice.

Banks had another awesome pass rush with 6:26 left in the half for his first official pressure. A tick late off the ball, again, he bull-rushed four-time Super Bowl champion guard Joe Thuney into Williams' lap — so forcefully that Thuney was table-topped when his legs got tied up with Williams — and flushed the QB to his right prior to a throwaway.

On the first play of the second quarter, Banks impressed against the run, splitting a double team by Thuney and Garrett Bradbury and seeping into the backfield. The 6-foot-6, 327-pound Banks had a 1-on-1 tackle attempt that would have netted a loss of 3, but his grip didn't hold on Kyle Monangai. His presence, however, disrupted Chicago's timing and afforded Blake Cashman enough time to fight off Thuney's second-level block and stop the rush at the line of scrimmage. This was one of several instances where Banks used a blend of quickness and power to push back into the Bears rushing attack, which had no answer for Minnesota's oft-slanting defensive front that contained D'Andre Swift and Monangai to 92 yards on 26 rushes (3.5 avg.) after they totaled 224 on 28 attempts (8.0 avg.) in Week 1.

Banks finished his second career game with ample flashes and a stat line to prove it: six tackles, including three solo and one for a loss. His TFL happened on a first-and-10 at the Vikings 40 with five minutes and change until the break. Banks identified something right before the snap, as he was signaling straight ahead in a 4i alignment, and then pinched down the line as Williams handed off to Swift and the offensive line moved laterally to the right. Banks used the left tackle's momentum against him, tossing him into an off-balance position and then shed the block entirely and redirected to snatch Swift as he tried to cut against the grain. Banks didn't make the same mistake twice and dragged the runner down.

Dare I say it?

Should I say it?

Big Citrus and The Bank are on the path to being the Williams Wall 2.0.