The Giants got a useful Cam Skattebo update before training camp turns into a real countdown. Head coach John Harbaugh expects the second-year running back to participate early in camp as he works back from last season’s ankle injury.
NFL.com reported Monday, via ESPN, that Skattebo and Malik Nabers are both on schedule and improving each day. Harbaugh added that Skattebo is further along than Nabers because of the type of injury, which gives the backfield a little more clarity heading into late July.
Cam Skattebo carries the ball during a Giants minicamp practice
Jun. 9, 2026. New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo participates in minicamp drills. Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.
The Giants get a real camp checkpoint for Cam Skattebo
Early participation is not the same thing as a full green light for every drill, every contact rep or every preseason series. Still, it is a much better place to be than a vague summer timetable. Skattebo has already been seen doing individual work and taking part in team periods during the offseason program, so the ramp-up has been heading in the right direction for a while.
Harbaugh’s wording matters because the Giants do not need to rush him through July to make a point. They need him to build his workload without the ankle becoming the story again. A healthy August gives Skattebo time to regain his timing in the run game and get back into the pass-protection work that is harder to judge in spring practices.
Cam Skattebo gives the Giants a different kind of backfield option
Skattebo had 410 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on 101 carries in eight games as a rookie. He also caught 24 passes for 207 yards and two scores before the injury shut down his season. The production made the excitement understandable, even with the small sample.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. remains part of the picture, and the Giants should be better for having more than one answer at running back. Skattebo offers a more physical style and gives an offense something different on early downs, near the goal line and when a game gets ugly.
No one should project a workload from a July injury update. But Skattebo getting onto the field early in training camp gives the Giants a chance to spend August figuring out how much they can ask of him, instead of wondering whether he will be ready at all.
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