Cam Skattebo is about as physical a running back as there is in the NFL. His hard-nosed play style made him a standout performer before his season-ending ankle injury as a rookie. He is also among the more flamboyant ballcarriers in the league. His backflip celebrations sometimes garner as much attention as the plays that warrant them
All of that is well and good on Sundays when Skattebo is doing it against a different team. But in the context of the New York Giants’ training camp, his brash football personality has tended to rub teammates the wrong way
Skattebo was reportedly at the center of a fight this week that stemmed from a couple of close calls with vulnerable defensive players. On one rep, when the defense was not allowed to hit, he made a catch and slid close to a couple of defensive backs’ legs, according to the New York Daily News. Jevon Holland and Gregory Newsome took exception to the potentially dangerous play, and the situation between Newsome and Skattebo escalated
Days earlier, Skattebo ran over linebacker Zaire Barnes in a period where, again, defensive players were not permitted to make hits
At the suggestion that Skattebo is wearing on his defensive teammates’ nerves, one of his fellow offensive players pushed back. Offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor squashed the idea that Skattebo is the
🧢 Stop trying to create a BS Narrative https://t.co/CkLFunX6jg
— Jermaine Eluemunor (@JEluemunor) August 26, 2026
At the same time, though, the Giants want Skattebo to keep himself in check. Coach John Harbaugh earlier this offseason asked him to limit his backflips during camp so as to reduce the potential for reinjury. And after his slide at Wednesday’s practice, Harbaugh made it clear he wants to set boundaries between the whistles, too
“Skatt’s great,” Harbaugh said. “He does bring a lot of energy. But he did get a 15-yard penalty at the end of practice. Did you notice that? That’s not infectious. Well, it is infectious, actually. Infectious in a bad way. Like an infectious disease type of thing. You don’t want that. You want it to be directed in a positive way.”
During his rookie season in 2025, Skattebo’s “infectious” personality made him a favorite among teammates and Giants fans. However, that ended when he suffered a gruesome dislocation of his right ankle on Oct. 26, 2025
Giants fans are aching to see Skattebo headbutt defenders, run right through them and pull off backflips when he crosses the goal line. That is what made him a must-watch ballcarrier in a rookie campaign that featured 617 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns across just eight games. Defenses cannot stand him, which is terrific when he plays against another team and less so when he lines up across from his own teammates for weeks on end. Fortunately for the Giants and their fans, the season is just over two weeks away. They begin the 2026 season on Sunday Night Football on Sept. 13 against the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys, which means Skattebo will have the opportunity to run over defenders in another uniform instead of his own.
A push from Najee Harris?
Skattebo is listed atop the depth chart at running back, but Harris has drawn praise since his arrival
Harris, who by all accounts has looked good in practice, has the running style that suits the Greg Roman system, and he could cut into Skattebo’s carries, especially if he keeps up his practice antics.
“Najee offers something different,” Assistant general manager Brandon Brown told reporters on Wednesday. “When you have a back that played at 235 before his injury that doesn’t need things blocked up cleanly for him to push the pile, and then he has a familiarity with G-Ro from L.A., those are things that you can’t just gloss over. When you have an opportunity to add talent, we’re never going to shy away from that.”
On the addition of Harris, Brown added: “No one was butthurt.” “It was very much adding competition, and that’s the thing that’s been very cool about the meritocracy. It’s not personal. It’s just the business of making this team as good as it can be.”
The Giants have plenty of competition for carries and touches this season, with four capable running backs (Skattebo, Harris, Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary), and a coach like Harbaugh won’t put up with the drama
