John Harbaugh and Cam Skattebo are at a war of words when it comes to the controversy surrounding his role with the Giants
The second-year running back didn’t touch the ball in the Week 6 loss to New Orleans, and the Giants’ backfield struggled badly without him.
New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh and running back Cam Skattebo have different versions of what happened with Skattebo’s role in Sunday’s Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Skattebo didn’t record a single carry or a single touch in the game. That raised an obvious question about whether the coaching staff was punishing him for the fumbles he has had over the past few weeks.
After the game, Harbaugh said it was not necessarily a punishment or a benching. He explained that the coaching staff is trying to establish the best running game possible, and so far nobody has established himself as the bell cow, or at least the primary runner.
“We didn’t bench Cam Skattebo,” Harbaugh said. “That was not by design. I mean, all these guys are taking equal reps. In the first half, we were trying to see who could make something happen. Who could get a hot hand and earn it. Nobody has really taken the ball by the horns.”
In the locker room, Skattebo offered a different perspective. He said he was somewhat punished based on the four fumbles he’s had in 2026. The offensive weapon also said he wants to be ready when he’s called upon, even though that didn’t happen on Sunday.
“I got punished for what I did,” Skattebo said. “I understand it, so I gotta be ready when the coach calls my name and that wasn’t [on Sunday]. It’s hard, but I’ve made mistakes, and I got to own up to them.”
A running game in shambles
Whatever the reason behind Skattebo’s absence, the running game for New York was a complete disaster against the Saints.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who entered the game late after Jameis Winston got benched, led the team in rushing with only 26 yards. Wide receiver Darnell Mooney was the second-leading rusher with 20 yards. That’s not a combination any offense wants to see at the top of the rushing chart.
The running backs didn’t do much whatsoever. Tyrone Tracy Jr. had 18 yards on six carries (3.0 yards per carry), Devin Singletary had 14 yards on four attempts (3.5 yards per carry), and Najee Harris finished the game with only two yards on four rushes (0.5 yards per carry). That’s certainly not what the Giants want from the position.
Context matters, but only to a point
To be fair, the game script didn’t help. New Orleans opened a lead early, and New York had to play catch-up with a heavy dose of passes. Winston attempted 26 throws before getting pulled, and McCarthy added 21 passing attempts of his own. It was a pass-heavy approach, mostly due to the circumstances.
At the same time, the running backs were not efficient when they did get the ball. The issue goes beyond volume. A combined 34 yards on 14 carries from Tracy, Singletary, and Harris shows a backfield that couldn’t move the ball even in limited opportunities.
That makes Skattebo’s complete absence stand out even more. He wasn’t simply buried behind more productive options. The Giants kept him off the field entirely while the alternatives struggled, which suggests his recent performance and ball security weighed on the decision more than Harbaugh admitted publicly.
Friction that predates the season
This isn’t the first time Harbaugh and Skattebo have been at the center of some controversy. There was some rumored friction between the head coach and the running back dating back to the offseason. Now, that relationship may be starting to affect what happens on the field in the regular season.
The situation is something to monitor for the rest of the year. If the disconnect continues, it could eventually lead to some type of split or a bigger decision regarding Skattebo’s future with the team.
That would be a significant turn for a player who looked like a promising piece for New York. Skattebo had a strong rookie season going until he suffered an injury that ended his 2025 campaign early. But the 2026 season hasn’t been what the Giants expected, and it certainly hasn’t been what Skattebo wanted.
