Giants Show Faith in Skattebo
Skattebo entered the league as a Round 4 pick in 2025, then watched the Giants change coaching staffs this offseason.
Still, New York didn’t add a single notable RB challenger in free agency or the draft. Skattebo will need to prove he’s back to pre-injury form after undergoing surgery and a lengthy rehab. The good news is that he made it back for June minicamp and appears on track for a normal training camp.
His primary competition remains Tracy, but Skattebo held the better efficiency profile last season.
| Yards Per Carry | Success Rate | Missed Tackles Forced Per att | Yards After Conact Per Att | Yards Per Route | Yards Per Catch |
| Skattebo | 4.1 | 50.5% | 0.26 | 2.82 | 1.70 | 8.6 |
| Tracy | 4.2 | 44.9% | 0.12 | 2.17 | 1.18 | 8.0 |
Jaxson Dart, O-line Supply Upside
Dart returns for his first full season as the starter.
His advanced metrics were mixed as a rookie. Among 34 QBs with 300+ snaps, he ranked 14th in expected points added (EPA) per play, 19th in success rate, and 25th in completion rate over expected. There’s certainly room for the second-year Round 1 QB to grow, especially if Nabers regains full health after missing most of last season.
The Giants return four starters along the O-line. The only change comes at RG, where Round 1 pick Francis Mauigoa will move inside from his college RT spot. The 6’5, 330-pounder presents a talent upgrade from 2025 starter Greg Van Roten, a 36-year-old who finished with average marks in PFF run-blocking grades.
'He's a Top-Tier Back'
Skattebo will learn a new playbook under OC Matt Nagy.
In June, HC John Harbaugh referred to Skattebo as a “starting running back” and praised his 2025 play.
“I thought he was just what you saw, a downhill runner, a tone-setter type runner. He's a tough tackle,” Harbaugh said via SI. “That's what you look for. How many guys can make yards when they're not supposed to make yards on their own? It seems to me he was that kind of guy at Arizona State and the exact same guy that I saw on tape last year. He's a top-tier back, and he's planning on playing that way this year.”
Play-calling duties will fall to Nagy, who spent the past three seasons as Andy Reid’s OC but didn’t call plays. He held that job from 2018-2021 as Chicago’s HC, posting finishes of sixth, 20th, 27th, and 11th in rush attempts.
His finishes in run rate:
Nagy’s lead backs averaged 18.5 touches per game across his four seasons as Bears HC, ranging from David Montgomery’s high of 20.5 to his low of 16.7.
Skattebo could push toward Nagy’s typical lead-back workload, but he still has to prove himself to the new staff. For now, our projections have him at 15.9 touches per game, ahead of Tracy’s 8.3.
Paths To Ceiling
Skattebo can push for RB1 value if he captures the lead-back role. His rookie-year efficiency metrics topped Tracy’s, giving him a strong case to stay ahead. And if Dart grows in Year 2, Skattebo’s scoring chances should climb after he converted 4 of 9 carries inside the five-yard line across his six starts.
Risk Factors
Skattebo’s 2025 efficiency profile looked promising, but the sample was small. The next questions are whether he can keep breaking tackles on larger volume and make a full recovery from a serious ankle injury. Tracy’s presence also adds potential risk to Skattebo’s workload if the new coaching staff opens a competition for snaps in training camp. Plus, Dart looks like a goal line rushing factor after scoring on 5 TDs on 12 carries inside the 10 yard-line as a rookie. That type of usage could limit Skattebo’s scoring potential.