On Saturday, Cam Skattebo played his first NFL game since dislocating his ankle during the 2025 season. The running back emerged as a star during his rookie year with a fearless running style, but the New York Giants were unlucky with injuries last year, and Skattebo was one of those who missed a large chunk of the season.
At warm-ups, though, the running back seemed to slip a bit on one of his runs, and social media jumped to conclusions from there, believing he was close to a serious injury all over again. However, PFN analysts made it clear that there’s no need for concern just yet.
NFL Analysts Warn Against Overreaction on Cam Skattebo
Skattebo made a full recovery from his serious injury in 2025 and his presence was a clear indicator, otherwise the team simply wouldn’t play him. He had four carries, as the Giants preserved their starters with just two drives in the first game of the preseason.
The video from the warm-up raised a few concerns, given his recent return from injury. Our analysts, however, were clear to ease the hearts of Giants fans. This looked like a regular slip due to MetLife’s horrible playing surface, and the fact that he had four carries during the game proves that everything was fine.
“This is a nothing burger. He slipped. Skattebo looked just fine in the Giants’ preseason opener’, said PFN analyst Jason Katz.
This is a nothing burger. He slipped. Skattebo looked just fine in the Giants’ preseason opener. https://t.co/yNtTwi5c3y
— Katz (@jasonkatz13) August 16, 2026
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Another PFN analyst, Jacob Infante, also made a point of criticizing the turf of MetLife Stadium. The playing surface at the stadium has been the subject of much discussion in the past few years, with a spate of injuries rearing its head.
“People are overreacting to this Cam Skattebo slip as a way to criticize his knee, but I think the real problem here is that garbage MetLife Stadium turf,” Infante remarked.
People are overreacting to this Cam Skattebo slip as a way to criticize his knee, but I think the real problem here is that garbage MetLife Stadium turf https://t.co/TbkDZwkH8N
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) August 16, 2026
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Skattebo finished the game with 19 yards on four carries, but the stats don’t truly matter in the preseason. The running back was healthy, and the Giants will need him at his best as they try to mount a challenge to take the NFC East back from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Prior to his 2025 injury, he earned a 70.9 grade in our PFN RB Impact Metric. He ranked No. 40 out of 55 qualified running backs.
