New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo says he has learned a lesson.
After being held without a single carry during Big Blue’s 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 6, the second-year running back is set to return to the Giants’ ground-game mix after what head coach John Harbaugh described as a “heck of a week of practice.”
Though it was a valuable experience, he’d rather not repeat it.
“I got taught a lesson,” Skattebo said. “I don’t know if that’s from them or from myself. I had to kind of step back and look at it and figure out why — why I was doing the things I was doing, what was happening?
“I came to practice, worked on those things, and corrected them,” he added. “I’m ready to go back out there and play ball.”
Cam Skattebo Knows the Score
While Skattebo has spent much of his young career atop the Giants’ running back depth chart, he has struggled to hold his spot as the team’s lead back.
Through the first six games of this season, the 5-foot-11, 215-pound rusher has carried the ball 81 times for 294 yards (3.6 yards per carry) and one touchdown.
Still, Skattebo’s season has largely been defined by his four fumbles, the last of which landed him in Harbaugh’s doghouse.
New York’s fourth-round selection (No. 105 overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft lost a key fumble in overtime of the club’s eventual 27-27 tie with the Washington Commanders.
As a result, Skattebo was temporarily demoted from his starting role in favor of now-former Giant Najee Harris, and the team settled into a committee-style approach to its ground game.
That strategy ultimately proved ineffective, as its trio of running backs (Harris, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary) combined for just 34 rushing yards against the Saints. In fact, Harris was released just two days after voicing his displeasure with the Giants’ running back rotation.
For Skattebo, Harris’ release only solidified the harsh realities of pro football.
“Nobody’s safe. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “When we go on the field and we perform, if we’re not performing, we understand there’s a possibility of not being here.
“If I don’t perform, I know there’s a possibility of me not being here. We came in this week. We continue to work. We know where we’re at. We know what we have. If we put that on display, we’re going to be just fine.”
As the Giants’ Week 7 showdown with the Houston Texans approaches, Skattebo realizes that the running game will be especially vital to the team’s success.
With the newly installed J.J. McCarthy set to make his first start at quarterback, Big Blue’s rushers will be called upon to take some of the burden off him.
After all, the Texans defense has 18 total sacks, 10.5 of them from pass rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter.
To complete the turnaround, Skattebo knows that he and his teammates must step up their respective games.
“We have guys that can do it,” Skattebo said. “The three of us (Skattebo, Tracy and Singletary) in the backfield are working together. We came out to practice this week with the right mindset and were ready to go.
“Whoever is going to carry the ball knows that the other two guys have their back,” he continued. “When that guy comes off the field, the next guy in is going to perform. The vibes have been great. We’ve been talking. We’ve been staying on the same page.”
As for whether he has regained his starting role for the foreseeable future, Skattebo is wisely focusing on this weekend’s game at Reliant Stadium.
“I didn’t do anything yet,” Skattebo said cautiously. “I took care of the ball during practice, and whatever my role is on Sunday is going to be my role, and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”
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