It’s pretty obvious that New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh has reached the end of his rope with running back Cam Skattebo — a slow progression that started with an offseason of missteps and culminated in Harbaugh benching Skattebo in Week 6 after fumbles became an issue that cost his team wins.
Skattebo will only have trade value for the Giants right now, and they need to move him by the November 10 trade deadline if they want any return on their investment.
One team that might leap at giving up a Day 3 pick for Skattebo is the Super Bowl-contending Buffalo Bills, where Skattebo could be a great change-of-pace back alongside starter and NFL All-Pro James Cook — another player with fumbling issues.
In this case, the Giants might expect a 6th- or 7th-round pick back — if not, they might cut Skattebo outright after the trade deadline.
“The Giants would also love to alter things at running back, apparently,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote on October 21. “The new coaching staff has clearly soured on Cam Skattebo, the Giants just released Najee Harris, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them add someone from the outside or give Tyrone Tracy Jr. a bigger chance.”
Giants Benched Skattebo Against Saints
The Giants benched Skattebo, their leading rusher, after a disastrous fumble cost them a Week 5 win against the Washington Commanders — a game that ended in a tie — and he didn’t get any carries in a Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
When asked about benching Skattebo against the Saints — Harbaugh tried to pull off a Jedi mind trick.
“We didn’t bench Cam Skattebo,” Harbaugh said. “That wasn’t by design … they were all pretty equal in the first half (with snaps). It wasn’t intentional that he didn’t carry the ball. You’re not thinking about what running back is in the game or how many carries they’re getting … we’re going to give them all equal shots. See who got a hot hand … you’re balancing it between four guys. Do the math.”
Harbaugh Called Skattebo ‘Disease’ in Training Camp
Harbaugh has been open about his disgust with Skattebo almost since he got the job with the Giants — a stretch that saw Skattebo at the heart of a controversy where he denied concussions and asthma were real things in the offseason as well as a failed backflip attempt during a Fanatics event on a surgically-repaired leg before training camp.
During training camp, after one practice in which Skattebo began to draw the ire of his teammates after several bizarre stunts — including running over a linebacker during a non-contact practice — Harbaugh unloaded on him.
“He got a 15-yard penalty at the end of practice,” Harbaugh said in August. “Did you see that? Yeah it’s infectious. It can be infectious the other way, an infectious disease type of thing. We want it to be in a positive way.”
Giants Trade Pitch Sends RB Cam Skattebo to Super Bowl Contender