The Bengals have a path to add running back help without paying a premium, and Cam Skattebo looks like the kind of buy-low swing that makes sense.
Cincinnati is entering the home stretch of the 2026 season with a need to firm up its backfield, and the Giants’ young runner could be available after a rough stretch in New York. Skattebo has 81 carries for 291 yards and a score this season, but his role took a major hit on Sunday, when he played only six snaps after logging 34-plus in every game before that.
“You can say, well, I don't like that. I don't like you divvying up the snaps between four backs.
And I can tell you, I don't like it either,” Harbaugh said about the snap drop for Skattebo on Sunday. “One of those guys needs to step up.
Somebody needs to step up and be the back.
“And none of those guys have done that yet. And when one of those guys steps up to be the back, then they'll be the back.
That's your answer. And that's as honest as I can be about it.
And they know that, too. And believe me, they're all hungry.
They want to step up. One of those guys wants to step up.
Somebody's going to step up and take that job. We're going to see who it is.”
That kind of uncertainty opens the door for a deal. New York has three running backs competing for snaps right now, with Najee Harris cut on Tuesday, and it doesn’t look fully committed to Skattebo as the lead option.
For Cincinnati, the appeal is obvious: the 2025 fourth-round pick could be had for a modest Day 3 selection in next year’s draft. That’s a much cheaper price than some other running back options on the market, and Skattebo has shown enough to make him worth the gamble.
His numbers this season are underwhelming, and the advanced metrics match that. Skattebo has a 55.4 Pro Football Focus grade this year and a 36 pass-blocking grade on 25 snaps, so he wouldn’t exactly arrive as a finished product in protection. But he was much stronger last season, when he posted an 80.5 overall grade.
At 24, he still has plenty left in the tank, and the move could give Chase Brown another capable threat behind him as Brown works through the final months of his contract season. Skattebo is under contract through 2028 and carries just a $1.79 million cap hit for the rest of this season and next.
Cincinnati has draft capital to work with, including eight 2027 picks, and one of those could be enough to get a deal done. Brown could still rebound and finish strong like he did last year, but the Bengals don’t need to spend much to build in insurance if that doesn’t happen.
The trade deadline arrives Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. ET, so Cincinnati has time to weigh its options.
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Bengals Have A Special Teams Problem Beyond Their Star Kicker
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Ryan Rehkows production has also been part of the concern, as his average punt distance has lagged behind the better legs around the league. For a team trying to stay competitive, those issues matter because special teams errors do not just change field position, they can swing momentum and put stress on the rest of the roster. Cincinnati has the kind of kicking game that should be an asset, but the rest of the operation has not always done McPherson or the Bengals many favors. [Read more 🡒]