The Giants spent the days leading up to the NFL trade deadline doing their homework on running backs, but the answers they got apparently didn’t move the needle enough to land a major addition.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported Wednesday morning that New York “called the Tennessee Titans about Tony Pollard and looked into Justice Hill with the Baltimore Ravens before the deadline, according to sources.” The Giants also made a serious push for Jonathan Taylor, offering the Indianapolis Colts a second-round draft pick, a future fifth-rounder and an unknown player. Indianapolis, according to Raanan, wanted “at least a first-round equivalent in any package” for Taylor, and New York eventually backed off.
The Titans, meanwhile, didn’t seem eager to move Pollard while they continue evaluating second-year quarterback Cam Ward. Baltimore also wasn’t acting like a team ready to sell, with the Ravens believing starting quarterback Lamar Jackson could return from his thumb injury in late December.
Raanan also noted that “multiple league sources believe...that Robinson is untouchable as the face of the Falcons.” Atlanta’s stance makes sense after Bijan Robinson signed a three-year, $75M contract extension in August that included $51M guaranteed.
For the Giants, the deadline came and went without a splashy backfield move, which leaves Cam Skattebo right where he was headed anyway: back in the lead role.
Skattebo missed one game with a hamstring injury, but he is expected to return as New York’s primary back when the 5-2-1 Giants host the 2-5-1 Washington Commanders on Thursday night. Speaking Tuesday, he made it clear he doesn’t see the team’s lack of a big-name addition as a threat to his job.
“I’ve been that guy,” Skattebo said Tuesday about remaining the Giants’ RB1 after the club didn’t add a big-name back, per Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports. “Obviously, we had that one-week hiccup where I got in trouble.
That was it. I came back that next week and handled business.
They know what I’m capable of. They know what I can do.”
Before the hamstring injury late in the Giants’ 27-21 overtime win over the Houston Texans on Oct. 25, Skattebo had already put his stamp on the job. He ran for a team-high 124 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in that game, and New York went into its bye after the win.
“You’ve seen what I can do,” Skattebo added on Tuesday. “When I come out, and I’m ready to play football, I can be one of the most dangerous backs in the league. Simple as that.”
In Other News...
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The timing alone makes it notable, since this came shortly after the trade deadline had passed, and it adds to a run of line changes that has defined Baltimore's approach this year. For a team that has spent the season trying to stabilize the interior of the line, the move suggests the Ravens were still looking for a cleaner fit in the middle, even if the full impact of the trade will take a little longer to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Jackson And The Ravens May Be Headed For A Brutal Choice
Lamar Jacksons contract situation has been one of the Ravens defining storylines for a while now, and the latest round of negotiations only reinforces how complicated this has become. General manager Eric DeCosta and cap chief Nick Matteo have been working through the details on Baltimores side, while Jacksons camp has had outside guidance from Mark Levin, a former NFLPA salary cap expert who has been closely involved in the process.
Levins read on the situation has been blunt enough to keep the pressure on the Ravens as they try to find a path forward. He has made clear that this is not the kind of negotiation likely to resolve cleanly unless Baltimore is willing to meet Jackson at the very top of the quarterback market, and his skepticism leaves the organization facing a difficult decision if the talks continue to stall. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Still Face One Huge Lamar Jackson Question
Lamar Jacksons thumb injury has already put the Ravens in a difficult spot, with the quarterback expected to miss six to 10 weeks after getting hurt in Week 8. Baltimore now has to move forward with Jacoby Brissett as the starter, while the bigger picture around Jackson remains cloudy as the team navigates the stretch run without its franchise quarterback.
Jesse Minter has kept the details close to the vest, declining to say much about Jacksons injury or where things stand with any procedure, citing privacy in the teams communication. For now, the only real timeline comes from the recovery window, and the next layer of uncertainty is whether Jackson would even consider a return unless his health is fully in order and the Ravens are still in the postseason mix. [Read more 🡒]