John Harbaugh Jokes About Cam Skattebo’s Failed Backflip, Says RB Is on Track for Camp
Harbaugh Isn’t Sweating Skattebo’s Backflip Attempt
Cam Skattebo tried a backflip at Fanatics Fest in New York over the weekend. He didn’t stick the landing. For a running back nine months removed from a serious ankle injury, that’s the kind of clip that makes a coaching staff wince.
John Harbaugh watched it too. He just wasn’t worried.
Appearing on the “Bleav in Giants” podcast with Bob Papa and Carl Banks, the Giants coach was asked directly about the video. He laughed before he answered.
“My reaction was — I haven’t talked to him yet, I’m going to talk to him I’m sure. My reaction was this: Dude, at least stick it. I mean, land the thing if you’re going to do it, you know?” — John Harbaugh
That’s the whole reaction. Not a lecture about risk. Not a mention of the ankle. Just a coach ribbing his running back for a rough landing.
The Backstory: A Gruesome Injury, Then a Fast Comeback
Skattebo’s rookie season ended in the worst way possible. In Week 8 against the Eagles on Oct. 26, 2025, he was tackled while trying to make a catch, and his right ankle folded under him — a dislocation with a fractured fibula that required overnight hospitalization and surgery. He was carted off the field in an air cast.
Before the injury, Skattebo had been one of the more electric rookies in the league. He put up 617 combined rushing and receiving yards with seven total touchdowns through eight games. The Giants have talked about him as a foundational piece of the run game ever since Harbaugh took over in January.
So the rehab mattered. A lot. And by all accounts, it’s gone well. Skattebo got back onto the field for team drills late in mandatory minicamp in June, and as recently as this week he told SI.com’s Patricia Traina he’s “ready to go” for camp, adding that his training has “felt the most normal” in recent weeks.
This wasn’t even his first backflip since the injury. He landed one cleanly after hitting a home run at teammate Brian Burns’ charity softball game on May 30 — a moment Harbaugh joked about at the time, telling reporters he’d asked Skattebo for “no backflips” going forward. Skattebo, evidently, didn’t fully agree to those terms.
Skattebo Downplayed It Himself
The running back addressed the crowd at Fanatics Fest directly after the flub, according to NFL.com. He said he realized mid-air he’d jumped too high to land it cleanly, but insisted he came away unhurt.
“I’m gonna address the elephant: I will not hurt myself before the season,” Skattebo said, before walking through what went wrong on the landing. He said the ground had “too much cushion” and wasn’t firm, but that “nothing happened” and he was “perfectly fine.”
Why Harbaugh’s Shrug Matters
None of this is happening in a vacuum. Harbaugh’s Ravens teams built their offensive identity around the run, leading the NFL in run rate last season at just over 52%, the only team above that mark. The Giants brought in Patrick Ricard, Harbaugh’s longtime fullback in Baltimore, and hired offensive coordinator Matt Nagy specifically to build a similar power-rushing scheme in New York.
Skattebo is central to that plan. A coach with real reason to be cautious about his lead back’s health chose to make a joke instead of a warning. That’s a signal in itself — Harbaugh’s public confidence in the recovery lines up with what the medical and training staff have reportedly been telling him.
“Skat’s going to be ready to go,” Harbaugh said. “He’s been working super hard. He has really been training like crazy. And his mind is on camp. He’s healthy, he’s ready to roll, and I can’t wait to see him out there at practice.”
What’s Next
Giants veterans, Skattebo included, are set to report to training camp at The Greenbrier in West Virginia on July 28, with rookies arriving July 23. Barring a setback, Skattebo is expected to take full-speed reps as the presumptive lead back in Harbaugh and Nagy’s new ground game.