Cam Skattebo is heading into his second NFL season with a much bigger role in front of him, and the Giants running back sounds ready for it.
His rookie year ended after eight games when he suffered a dislocated ankle, fractured fibula and a ruptured deltoid ligament in a 38-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Since then, his recovery has been one of the main offseason talking points, especially after he fell while trying a backflip at an event. But Skattebo said last week he believes he’s in position to handle a heavy workload in 2026.
“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 on USA TODAY Sports' "Sports Seriously."
"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."
That kind of usage would be a clear jump from what he handled as a rookie. Skattebo averaged 12.6 carries per game and topped out at 20 rushing attempts in a single game.
Even so, new coach John Harbaugh appears comfortable giving him more responsibility in Year 2. Skattebo finished his first NFL season with 410 rushing yards, five touchdowns and a 4.1 yards-per-carry average, and if his health holds up, he could be lined up for a much larger second act. His status remains a question, but he says he’s feeling good as Week 1 approaches.
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