The New York Giants‘ offense was dealt a devastating blow in Week 8 after rookie running back Cam Skattebo suffered a significant ankle injury.
Skattebo went down in the second quarter of the Week 8 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles and was later diagnosed with a dislocated ankle.
That means Skattebo will miss the rest of the campaign, which is just a depressing reality for a young player who showed so much promise and provided a massive spark for the Giants’ offense, along with Jaxson Dart.
With Skattebo sidelined, the Giants will rely on Tyrone Tracy and veteran Devin Singletary to pick up the slack the rest of the way — that is, unless they sign a running back or make a trade for one.
FanSided’s Christopher Kline thinks the Giants will do the latter. He predicts Big Blue will pull off a trade with the Carolina Panthers for running back Chuba Hubbard.
Chuba Hubbard has struggled to find space between the tackles since returning from injury, combining for 26 carries and 65 yards over his last two starts. Meanwhile, Rico Dowdle is quickly establishing himself as RB1 for the Carolina Panthers. He put up 389 rushing yards in two starts without Hubbard, averaging 7.3 yards per carry.
If the Panthers opt to stick with Dowdle the rest of the way, Hubbard becomes an intriguing trade chip who might benefit from a fresh start. He’s under contract at an affordable rate through 2028, with utility as both a runner and a receiver (eight catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns since his return).
Hubbard missed two games due to injury this season, and in that span Rico Dowdle went nuclear with a pair of 200-yard scrimmage games.
That led to calls for Dowdle to get more work over Hubbard, who has clearly been the inferior back this season. However, in the two games since Hubbard has been back, the Panthers have stuck with a mostly even rotation, even though Dowdle continues to outplay his backfield mate by a wide margin.
But there appears to be a changing of the guard as we enter Week 9. Panthers head coach Dave Canales revealed the team is at least considering giving Dowdle more work moving forward.
“Dave Canales on the two-back rotation featuring Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard. He spoke kindly of what Hubbard has meant to the organization, but noted Dowdle has been ‘exceptional.’ Where that leads we shall see,” ESPN’s David Newton reported on Monday.
“Canales says they are looking at giving Dowdle a heavier load. Sounds like a change in philosophy,” Newton added.
With Hubbard clearly on his way down the depth chart, it’s not crazy to think the Panthers might be open to trading him, although that will likely prove difficult thanks to Hubbard’s four-year, $33.2 million contract that runs through 2028.
Hubbard, who tallied 902 rushing yards in 2023 and then 1,195 in 2024, would be a good fit as a between-the-tackles runner who can complement Tracy’s explosive skillset.
But we simply do not see the Giants making this kind of move. Not only would it cost draft capital, but the Giants would be taking on a future commitment with Hubbard’s deal and they are just not in a position to do either of those things, especially with a player who isn’t performing at a high level.
It might be painful in the short term, but the Giants should either stick with what they have the rest of the season or make a smaller move to bolster the group.
