Cam Skattebo’s new role in the Giants’ offense is taking shape fast, and the clearest sign came from a conversation he says he had with John Harbaugh this summer.
The new Giants head coach pulled Skattebo aside and asked a simple question: could he handle 20-plus carries a game? Skattebo’s answer was immediate. He said yes without blinking, and that exchange now sits at the center of how the Giants are approaching their 2026 backfield.
They are betting big on a second-year runner who has never finished an NFL season.
Skattebo relayed that conversation himself while speaking with Sports Seriously, and he made it clear Harbaugh has already started building the workload around him.
“I had a couple talks with him letting him know, hey, I’m gonna be ready to go. And he trusted me, and he trusted the fact that I’m ready to go,” Skattebo said.
“He got a little snippet of it in our first preseason game, and he’s gonna get a big snippet on Sunday Night Football. So I’m excited to show him what I have, and we talk a lot, but when he walks up to me and tells me, ‘Are you ready for 20-plus carries a game?’
I think I’m in a pretty good spot.”
The Giants’ roster construction backs that up. They kept four running backs on the initial 53-man roster and put Skattebo first on the depth chart, ahead of a reclamation signing, a 1,000-yard incumbent, and a restructured veteran. That is a serious vote of confidence for a player with just 101 career carries.
And the numbers from his rookie year explain why the staff is willing to go there. In 2025, Skattebo averaged 19.5 touches per game over his first eight appearances, racking up 410 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 101 carries. He also caught 24 passes for 207 yards and two scores before a dislocated ankle ended his season.
That kind of usage was already near the top of the league for rookie backs before the injury hit. The film matched the production. Skattebo ran with force between the tackles and turned checkdowns into first downs, the kind of physical style Harbaugh wants to build around while a rookie quarterback settles in.
The challenge is obvious, though: the Giants are asking a back with a major lower-body injury in his only pro season to carry the load again. Skattebo’s 2026 cap hit is just $1.27 million, so the contract side of the gamble is easy. The medical side is where the tension lives.
Behind him, the Giants have layered in protection. Najee Harris is there as insurance after signing a one-year, $1.215 million deal in August.
Harris is coming off a torn Achilles that limited him to three games with the Chargers in 2025, but his track record in Pittsburgh still stands out. He rushed for 1,043 yards and six touchdowns in 2024 and never missed a game across his first four seasons.
If Skattebo’s ankle becomes an issue or the workload proves too much, Harris is the one back in the room who has already proven he can shoulder a full season. The Giants are paying veteran-minimum type money to keep that option available.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. is also part of the equation, even if the depth chart doesn’t fully reflect how steady he’s been. He has topped 1,000 scrimmage yards in each of his first two seasons, including 895 rushing yards and five touchdowns as a rookie in 2024, then 740 rushing yards and 288 receiving yards in 2025. His 69.5 overall PFF grade last season placed him in the middle of qualified backs, and he did that while sharing work and playing behind a shaky interior line.
At a $1.15 million cap number, Tracy may be the safest bet in the entire room. He protects well, catches the ball cleanly, and has been the Giants’ most consistent runner over the past two years. Seeing a proven 1,000-yard producer listed as a co-No. 2 says more about how strongly the staff believes in Skattebo’s ceiling than it does about any decline from Tracy.
Devin Singletary rounds out the group after the Giants reworked his contract to a $2.55 million cap hit, cutting about $3.95 million from his original 2026 number. He played all 17 games last season and finished with 437 rushing yards and five touchdowns, giving the Giants a dependable veteran option who can keep the offense from overextending its young lead back.
Put it all together, and the Giants are carrying four running backs at a combined cap cost of about $6.2 million. It’s a clear hierarchy built around Skattebo, with Harris, Tracy, and Singletary all positioned to support him if needed.
The plan is ambitious, but it’s also practical. The Giants have insulated the position as well as a tight-budget roster can, while still leaving the job in the hands of the back Harbaugh already asked about.
Skattebo said he’s ready. Week 1 against Dallas is where he starts proving it.
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