Unlike the quarterback position, where two quarterbacks mean no quarterback, having two trustworthy runners in the backfield is far preferred to having just one.
It’s why we’ve seen more teams shift to the modern running back by committee approach in order to prevent wear and tear at the position, keep the ground game fresh, and benefit from having backs with complementary skill sets.
And now the New York Giants are turning to this model to receive more production from their running backs. After all, it never gets easy to replace a running back who just ran for 2,000 yards and won a Super Bowl with a division rival.
Despite Tyrone Tracy Jr eclipsing 1,000 scrimmage yards in his rookie season, he still left something to be desired in New York’s running back room. The converted wide receiver fumbled five times in 2024 and was sometimes unable to churn out the tough yards Big Blue desired.
In order to rectify that, New York selected Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo with the 110th pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. It’s hard to pass up a guy who was sixth in Heisman voting and recorded over 1,700 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns in his senior season.
Skattebo’s versatility was on full display in college, rushing for 143 yards and two touchdowns, catching eight passes for 99 yards, and even throwing a 42-yard touchdown pass in the Peach Bowl loss to Texas. So he'll certainly push Tracy for the RB1 position.
It’s clear there’s no shortage of opportunity for Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka to get creative with this tandem. Especially when one of them loves contact so much he apparently head-butted telephone poles growing up.
In comparison to the Purdue product, Skattebo brings a physical running style and has impressed coaches with his capabilities as a pass-catcher in training camp.
But even with Skattebo’s arrival, it’s clear Tracy remains a key piece of the puzzle.
"He's had a good offseason program,” Daboll told SNY. “Got bigger, quicker, faster. More experienced playing the position. Come out here, and he’s doing a good job right now.”
Daboll’s words evoke confidence in Tyrone Tracy’s development
Tracy didn’t even transition to running back until 2022, and rapidly climbed up the depth chart in West Lafayette in 2023, starting for the first time in his college career. For a player relatively new to the position, that progress speaks volumes about his adaptability.
His background as a wideout led to him hauling in 38 passes as a rookie while displaying impressive agility and explosiveness in his first real opportunity handling an RB1-caliber workload.
The 23-year-old Skattebo does not possess blazing speed, so it's the 25-year-old’s 4.48 speed that Daboll will need to take advantage of. Both running backs are capable pass-catchers, which could be incredibly beneficial if we see Jaxson Dart take the field as a rookie.
Together, the pair gives New York a dynamic two-header monster, one that could quietly become one of the league’s more underrated tandems by season’s end.