Even during his college days, New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo’s affable personality and explosive plays made him a popular name among football fans. But for reasons outside of his own control, the honeymoon phase between Skattebo and the national media appears over.
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan became the latest figure to express doubt about Skattebo’s true potential, citing what he felt was an inconsistent rookie season. Duggan wrote that Skattebo would have tied for 27th in yards after contact per rush and 26th in rushing success rate had he not gotten hurt.
“Skattebo should enter the season as the Giants’ No. 1 back as long as he’s fully healthy, but his lack of explosiveness might limit his ceiling,” Duggan wrote.
Cam Skattebo's Giants impact is flying under the radar
Duggan’s analysis comes only weeks after ESPN’s Bill Barnwell claimed that Skattebo was below average in various metrics, including yards per carry, success rate, and explosive play rate.
Apparently, we need to do this exercise again.
Skattebo’s 50% rushing success rate was slightly above the 49.4% league average, so let’s not pretend he was abysmal before he got hurt.
If critics want to argue that Skattebo’s rushing success rate should be higher given that he’s part of a three-headed rushing attack, that’s its own conversation.
That said, this recent trend of analysts either arguing that Skattebo is overrated or rewriting the narratives about his rookie season is growing tiresome.
Skattebo averaged nearly five yards per touch, and he only fumbled once over his first 125 touches. Had he not gotten hurt, he was on pace for roughly 1,250 yards from scrimmage.
Keep in mind that Skattebo isn’t a bellcow like Derrick Henry or Jonathan Taylor. He’ll continue to split carries with Tyrone Tracy Jr., and there is no indication that the Giants will limit Jaxson Dart’s designed runs.
Find me a team that wouldn’t want those kinds of numbers from a running back in such a diverse offensive system. I’ll wait.
The point about Skattebo only having one carry above 20 yards is a far more valid talking point. We’ll see whether first-round pick Francis Mauigoa’s arrival at right guard helps Skattebo improve on last year’s lack of big-time runs.
I’m not ready to give up on Skattebo yet, and I’m confused about the growing negativity. But the media needs its targets, and Skattebo is apparently the Giants’ newest punching bag.
So long as Skattebo continues getting his targets, he won’t need much longer to reaffirm why the Giants continue putting their faith in him.
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