Arguably the funniest part of the NFL preseason is how often we eventually circle back to our initial expectations.
Take the New York Giants’ running back room, for example. In less than two weeks, we saw Tyrone Tracy Jr. emerge as a possible trade candidate, Najee Harris sign a prove-it deal and almost immediately factor into the first-team offense, and an entire narrative change about Devin Singletary.
So much for the idea entering camp that Tracy and Skattebo would be the unquestioned top two running backs. In fact, some even speculated on social media that the latter’s alleged immaturity and physicality had already put him on thin ice with John Harbaugh and the new staff.
But what’s that old saying about the more things change? Because as of Saturday afternoon, much of what we believed would be the case come Week 1 appears likely to happen.
Have the New York Giants finally figured out their running back situation?
Unsurprisingly, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan projected that the foursome of Skattebo, Tracy, Singletary, and Harris would all survive final cuts. There should have been no doubt about the first two, and Singletary potentially played his way off the roster bubble with a strong preseason.
But what is interesting is that Duggan believes that one of those four could be a regular gameday scratch. However, he doesn’t think that role would go to Tracy, who could also contribute on special teams.
That leaves Skattebo, Singletary, and Harris, though the latter has more than earned a 53-man roster spot. Credit to Harris for how quickly he acclimated to a new team while recovering from a significant Achilles injury that cost him most of the 2025 season. Barring any setbacks, there is no reason to believe that he’d be the inactive one.
Naturally, you’d think Singletary would be the favorite, especially with how much hype and goodwill Skattebo has generated since joining the Giants last spring. But we genuinely don’t know if his act has worn thin, whether it’s doing offseason flips after last year’s ankle injury or starting fights in practice.
By no means are we suggesting that Skattebo is on the proverbial hot seat. Common sense would suggest that Singletary is the last man out, though that also raises the question of why the Giants would even bother keeping him around. He turns 29 in September and is on the veteran minimum, and that’s not even factoring in his lack of special teams value.
We nonetheless have questions about Skattebo’s long-term fit under Harbaugh and the new staff. The coming days will be especially interesting as several running backs, both on controllable deals and veterans capable of providing a spark off the bench, could become available amid final cuts.
NFL teams must submit their initial 53-man rosters by Sunday night. The Giants already made one trade on Saturday, acquiring Ravens defensive lineman C.J. Okoye in exchange for a 2028 seventh-round pick.
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