It didn't take long for running back Cam Skattebo to endear himself to the New York Giants and their fans last year. His throwback, smashmouth, devil-may-care style was immediately embraced by Giants Nation, and his boyish response and behavior added a dynamic that enthralled fans.
But the Giants fans and Skattebo himself were cheated out of a full season of fun last year when the fourth-round pick out of Arizona State suffered a serious ankle injury in Week 8 and was lost for the season.
This week, at the Giants' summer training camp, Skattebo is back and "almost 100 percent."
"I've felt 99 percent," he told reporters. "I think the 100 percent is when I put shoulder pads on and I'm able to hit someone. That's when I'll tell you I'm 100 percent.
But for now, I'm 99.9 percent okay."
With the backflip controversy on hiatus for now (he's promised to save them for after touchdowns only), his showmanship will be somewhat curtailed.
He doesn't care, and neither does the Giants' faithful. They love him, and he loves them right back. This first week of training camp provided many instances of Skattebo's ever-growing popularity with the fans.
Mission accomplished 💙 pic.twitter.com/oveAL9Khvf
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 1, 2026
"It's been awesome," Skattebo said of the fan's response to him.
"People say I'm the people's guy, so I'm going to continue being the people's guy.
— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) July 31, 2026
Keep giving kids high-fives...you never know when that kid is going to cry because he got a high-five from me.
I'm going to continue to be who I am and hopefully make everybody happy around me,… pic.twitter.com/WHXVydTpTi
Skattebo could end up becoming more than just the "people's guy" this year. The Giants are intending to run the football a lot under new head coach John Harbaugh, and guess who is going to be the first man up in that rotation? You know who.
"Not only me," said Skattebo on who will be pounding the rock this year. "Trace (running back Tyrone Tracy), Motor (running back Devin Singletary), Turbo (running back Dante Miller), all of them, he comes into our room all the time and says we're going to run the ball, so be ready. He constantly reminds us that it's going to happen and as a running back group, I think as a total group, we have come together and that's how we're going to play as a group.
"We're going to be physical. We're going to run hard. Me and Trace have had a lot of talks in the past eight months of me being injured and coming back. I think you're going to see a little meaner side of him this year too. So, I'm super excited to get the ball on the ground and see the physicality come out of all the guys."
Fun times are ahead, it appears, for Skattebo, his fans and the Giants.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants' Cam Skattebo embracing his role as a fan favorite
