In nearly 20 years with the Baltimore Ravens, John Harbaugh never had a player join the exclusive 2,000-rushing-yards club. And New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo doesn’t intend to keep Harbaugh waiting much longer.
Speaking at a town hall this week, Skattebo admitted he did not consider his rookie season successful. Skattebo rushed for 410 yards and five touchdowns on 4.1 yards per attempt before suffering a severe leg injury in October. Â
Already a fan favorite upon joining the G-Men, Skatt added 24 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
As he works his way back, Skattebo made it clear he is chasing history.Â
“When I play 17-plus games this year, it’s going to be 300 carries for over 2,000 yards,” Skattebo said.
Only nine running backs in league history have rushed for 2,000 yards. Former Giant Saquon Barkley most recently accomplished the feat in 2024. Â
No Giants running back has entered the 2,000-yard club. Tiki Barber owns the single-season franchise record with 1,860 rushing yards in 2005. Â
Cam Skattebo is already setting himself up for disappointment
Part of why Skattebo quickly endeared himself to Giants fans is he isn’t afraid to show how confident he is in himself.
It didn’t matter that Skattebo was a fourth-round pick. He proved from the jump that the versatility he demonstrated weekly at Arizona State could easily carry into the NFL.
Unfortunately for Skattebo, the odds don’t favor a 2,000-yard season even if he stays healthy. Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary remain on the Giants’ roster, and Harbaugh loves rotating his running backs.
We also can’t forget about Jaxson Dart, especially given Harbaugh and his offensive staff’s history with properly utilizing dual-threat quarterbacks.
Skattebo won’t have the 300 carries he desperately wants. Ray Rice, who had 307 rushing attempts in 2010, was the only Ravens running back to do so from 2008 through 2023.
The equation changed when Derrick Henry joined the Ravens ahead of the 2024 season. For as talented as Skattebo might be, he also isn’t Derrick Henry.
Henry is an old-school bellcow, having averaged 309 carries the last seven seasons—and that’s including an injury-shortened 2021 campaign.
None of this is a knock against Skattebo. He’s shooting for the moon in a way that warrants respect.
However, there is a rare club that Skattebo could join with some help.
There have only been seven instances of a team having multiple 1,000-yard rushers in the same season.
The Giants notably did it in 2008 with Derrick Ward and Brandon Jacobs. More recently, Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram accomplished the feat under Harbaugh in 2019.
Are Skattebo and Tracy up next? Assuming that Skattebo stays healthy, maybe the idea isn’t worth dismissing after all.
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