Giants Expect Cam Skattebo Back Early In Camp; Malik Nabers ‘Not Far Behind’
The Giants have growing clarity about the returns of running back Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers from the injuries that ended their 2025 seasons.
In an appearance on The Domonique Foxworth Show, head coach John Harbaugh said (via Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper) that both players are “on schedule” in their recoveries. Skattebo is expected to be ready “early on in camp,” while Nabers is “not far behind.”
“There’s a lot of optimism about both those two guys right now,” Harbaugh added.
Skattebo, 24, dislocated and fractured his ankle in late October with an original goal of participating in spring practices. That return never materialized with the 2025 fourth-rounder acknowledging “ups and downs” in his rehab in May. Making his practice debut early in training camp would keep Skattebo on track to be New York’s lead back when the regular season kicks off in September.
Nabers’ status has been more up in the air since a second knee surgery earlier this offseason following an initial procedure to repair a torn ACL and partially torn meniscus in October. Week 1 has long been the star wideout’s return target, and getting a full ramp-up period in camp will be crucial to hitting that mark.
Harbaugh declined to commit to either player being available for the start of training camp, so both are still candidates to go on the active/physically unable to perform list later this month.
Roles In Giants’ New-Look WR Corps
Quite a bit has changed in New York as the Giants welcome a new staff and quite a few new players. Last year’s receiving corps was led by Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton, in the absence of Malik Nabers, with tight ends Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger supplementing the passing attack. Nabers returns in 2026, but the departure of Robinson in free agency opens the door for a number of newcomers to stake their claim on a significant role in New York’s offense.
The Giants know what they have in a healthy Nabers, and they know what they have in his absence. If available, he’ll be a main focus and favorite target for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart, and if he’s not, then he won’t. Slayton, for all his limitations, has carved out a consistent role with the Giants over the years. His production has dipped a bit with better options in the system, and he’s susceptible to drops, but he can be a strong compliment to Nabers when he’s at his best.
According to Dan Duggan, free agent addition Calvin Austin III should end up being the team’s starting slot receiver. He looked primed for a potential breakout campaign last year, after a decent sophomore season for the Steelers, but a limited passing attack killed any chances of that. Duggan also notes that the Giants are not expected to utilize a slot receiver too much. The addition of free agent signee Isaiah Likely alongside Johnson could result in a good number of two-tight end sets for New York next year.
In any case, veteran Braxton Berrios also seems likely to land a roster spot in New York. The All-Pro return man has dealt with injuries recently, but with Gunner Olszewski tearing his Achilles tendon in spring ball, Berrios seems to be a strong replacement, if he can stay healthy.
If Slayton doesn’t look like he can contribute like he did earlier in his career, New York has a decent collection of options both young and old to compete for targets. The Giants traded up to secure Notre Dame’s Malachi Fields in the third round. He’ll be simultaneously competing with and learning from a diverse group of veterans in Darnell Mooney, Odell Beckham Jr., and JuJu Smith-Schuster. All have seen strong seasons in the past — Mooney, most recently — but have struggled to make a consistent impact in recent years.
Currently, the team rosters six other receivers. While Isaiah Hodgins, Jalin Hyatt, Xavier Gipson, Dalen Cambre, Beaux Collins, and Ryan Miller may have been able to make decent cases for roster spots before the influx of veteran talent in the offseason, they may now struggle to even argue for special teams usage. A few names will likely stick around on the practice squad, but the Giants can only hold on to so many receivers, and a number of opportunities in New York may be ending as a result.
Giants Willing To Consider Raise For LT Andrew Thomas
Dan Duggan of The Athletic (subscription required) says Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas is currently heading down a path similar to the one charted by the club’s former defensive tackle, Dexter Lawrence, though he believes there may be a different outcome in Thomas’ case. Both players were first-round draft picks – Thomas was selected in 2020, one year after Lawrence – and both signed second contracts near the top of the market for their respective positions in 2023.
With two years but no guaranteed money remaining on his deal, Lawrence angled for a revised accord this offseason. Player and team were unable to make much headway, so Lawrence requested a trade in April. New York obliged, shipping him to the Bengals in exchange for a first-round pick.
The Giants restructured Thomas’ deal for cap purposes this offseason, and while that maneuver generated future signing bonus and restructure prorations, there will be no guaranteed money to be paid to Thomas after 2026. Unlike Lawrence, however, Thomas is under club control through 2029, so he is not exactly in position to request a new round of negotiations or a trade.
Nonetheless, Duggan believes New York is willing to reward Thomas with a raise and avoid a Lawrence-esque parting of the ways if the blindside blocker stays healthy and performs to his usual standard in 2026. The former has been something of an issue for Thomas in recent years.
The 27-year-old has missed at least four games due to injury in four of the last five seasons. A Lisfranc injury limited him to a career-low six games in 2024, and he missed the first two contests of 2025 as he recovered from that ailment. He also missed the final two games of 2025 due to a hamstring issue.
While he has not earned any Pro Bowl or All-Pro acclaim to date, Thomas consistently plays at a high level. Pro Football Focus assigned him above-average grades for his work in 2023 and 2024 and considered him an elite performer in 2022 and 2025. He earned a mark of 90.3 in both of those seasons, which put him in the top-five among all qualified players.
At present, Thomas’ $23.5MM/year accord places him seventh among left tackles. A healthy, productive campaign in 2026 could put him higher up the pecking order despite the years of team control that remain on his deal.
On the flip side, the Giants could part ways with Thomas in the ‘27 offseason if things do not go according to plan. The team would be hit with a $24.82MM dead money charge if it were to cut or trade him prior to June 1 next year, but such a move would still generate over $5MM in cap savings. A post-June 1 transaction would create $19.4MM of room while leaving a more palatable $10.55MM in dead money on the ‘27 ledger.
Giants DL Sam Roberts Recovering From Offseason Surgery; Latest On Leki Fotu
Sam Roberts is one of several veteran defensive linemen who joined the Giants this offseason. He has yet to participate in practice for his newest team, but that should change shortly.
Roberts – who was limited to just five games in 2025 – underwent offseason surgery, Dan Duggan of The Athletic writes. The fifth-year veteran missed OTAs and minicamp this spring as a result. New head coach John Harbaugh expects Roberts to be healthy in time for training camp this summer, though.
[RELATED: Roy Robertson-Harris Could Return From Achilles Tear In 2026]
New York traded away Dexter Lawrence this offseason, ending his Pro Bowl tenure with the team. How the Giants fare along the defensive interior in 2026 and beyond will be a significant storyline this year as a result. Fellow veterans D.J. Reader and Shelby Harris are in the fold, and an uptick in playing time for 2025 third-rounder Darius Alexander would come as no surprise. Roberts (who took a one-year deal featuring no guaranteed money) is among the contenders for a depth role.
Another is Leki Fotu. Per Duggan, the former Cardinal, Jet, Raider and Texan took starting reps this spring while Harris was absent from OTAs. That suggests Fotu – who has 66 appearances and 26 starts to his name – will enter training camp relatively high on the depth chart with respect to experienced D-linemen. Fotu also inked a one-year deal this spring, and his pact contains only $25K in guarantees.
As a result, neither he nor Roberts are assured of a roster spot. Training camp and the preseason will be critical at a number of spots with a new coaching staff in place, but the defensive interior in particular will be worth watching closely. Roberts will look to avoid any further injury issues through the summer, while Fotu’s spot in the pecking order will be interesting to monitor.
Giants’ Cam Skattebo To Open Year 2 As Starter?
Last year, the Giants saw Cam Skattebo ride the momentum from one of the most exciting players in the 2024 College Football Playoff for Arizona State to effective rookie starter. That road saw Skattebo make his way to New York as a fourth-round pick and open the season on the bench as the Giants waited until Week 4 to name him RB1 as a rookie. It appears likely the G-Men won’t wait that long in Year 2.
Skattebo was a dedicated bell-cow back in his final year of college. He ended the Sun Devils’ regular season with two games in which he produced 324 rushing yards and six touchdowns. In the Big 12 Championship, Skattebo stole the show with 170 yards on the ground and three total touchdowns, and when the team was eliminated in the playoffs, it was in spite of Skattebo’s 148 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and 42-yard touchdown pass. Still, there were concerns about his limited burst and willingness to take on big hits at the next level.
The Giants opened the season with Tyrone Tracy Jr. as their starting running back, and after a rough Week 1 outing, Devin Singletary was tapped for Week 2. That second contest of the season ended up featuring more of Skattebo than anyone else, and though Tracy earned the starting nod in Week 3, it was clear at that point that Skattebo was taking over the lead back role, out-carrying both his backfield mates for the second week in a row.
Established as New York’s RB1 in Week 4, what came next was a bit of a mixed bag. While Skattebo proved to be nothing if not effective, ranking near the top of the NFL in rushing touchdowns and first downs per rush over the first two months of the season, his efficiency left room for improvement. According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Skattebo’s 4.1 yards per carry and 3.0 yards after contact were fairly average league numbers, and he only produced one carry of over 20 yards. Still, per Duggan, as long as he remains fully healthy through the rest of the offseason, he’s the Giants’ No. 1 back.
Skattebo’s rookie campaign ended with a brutal open tibia fracture and right ankle dislocation. Less than eight months removed from surgery, Skattebo was back on the field running drills with the team. He hasn’t been fully cleared, but he expects to be ready to go for Week 1 of his sophomore season. In his absence last year, Tracy picked the reins back up and finished the season as Big Blue’s leading rusher. He’s finished each of his two seasons in the NFL having reached 1,000 yards from scrimmage.
Tracy has his own limitations to his game, but he provides the Giants with a second, solid rusher. Skattebo appears set to open the season as RB1 next to quarterback Jaxson Dart, but if injuries end up being a limiting factor once again, Tracy remains a strong RB2 option.
2026 NFL Offseason In Review Series
Training camps remain weeks away, and some key transactional matters lie ahead for many NFL teams. But clubs have largely assembled their rosters for the 2026 season. While positional battles await, the key players for every team are now known. With that in mind, PFR’s latest Offseason in Review series is underway. Teams will be added to this list between now and Week 1.
AFC East
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
AFC North
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
AFC West
- Denver Broncos
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
NFC East
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
NFC North
- Chicago Bears
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/8/26
Today’s minor moves:
New York Giants
- Reverted to IR: CB Rico Payton
Rico Payton was waived by the Giants yesterday but apparently passed through and has now landed on injured reserve, meaning he won’t be able to suit up for New York during the 2026 campaign. The former UDFA got into 16 games for the Saints in 2024 before joining the Giants last August. He ended up making nine appearances for his new squad in 2025, finishing with 12 tackles while spending the majority of his playing time on special teams.
2026 Cap Space, By Team
With training camps not far away, teams around the NFL will soon witness an influx of signings. Veteran free agents will line up new deals in advance of the 2026 campaign.
As a result, this represents a good time to check in on where each team stands with respect to spending power. A number of potential suitors could make several moves over the coming weeks, although retaining cap space for in-season moves and rolling over unused space into 2027 represent logical objectives as well.
Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is a look at how much space each team currently has:
- San Francisco 49ers: $71.73MM
- Tennessee Titans: $53.1MM
- Washington Commanders: $43.7MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $40.36MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $35.14MM
- New England Patriots: $34.73MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $31.67MM
- Denver Broncos: $29.49MM
- Houston Texans: $27.72MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $27.54MM
- New York Jets: $27.37MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $25.49MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $24.46MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $23.57MM
- Green Bay Packers: $23.11MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $18.85MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $17.14MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $16.47MM
- Cleveland Browns: $16.05MM
- Detroit Lions: $14.71MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $13.14MM
- Miami Dolphins: $11.66MM
- New York Giants: $10.24MM
- Buffalo Bills: $9.68MM
- Carolina Panthers: $8.6MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $8.38MM
- Chicago Bears: $8.29MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $8.02MM
- New Orleans Saints: $6.33MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $5.5MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $4.12MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $3.19MM
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/7/26
Here are today’s only minor moves from around the NFL:
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers (from Titans): DT C.J. Ravenell
- Waived (with injury designation): CB Rico Payton
Ravenell went unclaimed the first time the Titans waived him with an injury designation, allowing Tennessee to revert him to injured reserve. After he was waived from IR with an injury settlement yesterday, though, New York has taken the opportunity to claim Ravenell. Originally coming into the league as an undrafted free agent for the Ravens in 2024, Ravenell will be reuniting with head coach John Harbaugh and a few other Baltimore transplants.
Payton went undrafted in 2024, as well, and played in 16 games as a rookie with the Saints. He was claimed off waivers by New York just before the 2025 season began and placed on IR two days later. He was activated in Week 9 and played in nine game for Big Blue.
The NFL’s Longest-Tenured Head Coaches
More than a quarter of the NFL changed coaches this offseason, with a record-tying 10 jobs opening up. Two of those changes shook up the top of his annual midyear list. Mike Tomlin resigned as Steelers head coach after 19 seasons, doing so days after the Ravens ended John Harbaugh‘s tenure after 18. Andy Reid is now the NFL’s longest-tenured HC — by a wide margin.
The three-time Super Bowl-winning Chiefs leader is entering his 14th season in Kansas City and 28th as an NFL HC. The former Eagles honcho — now fourth on the NFL’s all-time wins list (307) — will have split his head coaching career evenly between Pennsylvania and Missouri after this season. As the 68-year-old Reid will attempt to become the oldest NFL HC to win a Super Bowl — a mark Bruce Arians holds at 66 — he is the only active sideline boss to be hired before 2017.
Tomlin fell a few years short of Chuck Noll‘s storied 23-season Pittsburgh tenure, and playoff losses mounted for a coach that established one of the highest floors in the history of professional sports. A one-sided wild-card loss to the Texans preceded a quick Tomlin exit, and the charismatic leader is now at NBC. As Tomlin completed his 19th non-losing season, his team handed Harbaugh what became a tenure-closing defeat. The Ravens moved on from their Super Bowl-winning leader not long after Tyler Loop‘s Week 18 missed field goal.
Harbaugh received interest from just about everywhere on the coaching market, but he only met with the Giants and Falcons. The Giants quickly closed a deal, albeit taking a few days to finalize it, and started this year’s hiring cycle. The Falcons then scooped up Kevin Stefanski, whom the Browns fired after six seasons.
Stefanski is responsible for two of Browns 2.0’s three playoff berths since the franchise’s 1999 rebirth, but he took the fall amid Cleveland’s persistent struggles over the past two seasons. The Browns hired Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken — who was not a candidate anywhere else — to replace Stefanski. This is Monken’s first NFL HC opportunity, but he had been the Browns’ OC in 2019. The Ravens hired Jesse Minter, one of Harbaugh’s former assistants.
Having hired defensive-minded 30-somethings to fill each of their previous three HC vacancies, the Steelers went with Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy. The offense-oriented leader is now a third-chance HC; overall, this is the former Packers and Cowboys head coach’s 19th season in charge of an NFL team. Beyond the Atlanta and New York hires, Tennessee was the only other team to go with a retread option. The Titans, who had been closely connected to ex-Mike Borgonzi Chiefs coworker Matt Nagy, hired Robert Saleh. The two-time 49ers DC is back on the HC tier after just one season away.
Sean McDermott had joined Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan as a 2017 HC hire, but the Bills canned their longtime leader after an overtime divisional-round loss in Denver. Like Tomlin, McDermott is out of the NFL presently.
The nine-year Buffalo boss produced eight playoff berths, ending a 17-year Bills drought, but experienced a few agonizing losses in January. In an attempt at ensuring some continuity while aiming to clear a troublesome hurdle, the Bills promoted OC Joe Brady. The 36-year-old staffer has risen from QBs coach to interim OC to full-time OC to head coach with the Bills.
The NFL now has two LaFleurs in HC chairs, with the Cardinals having hired Mike LaFleur seven years after the Packers hired older brother Matt. The former Jets and Rams OC is part of a rebuild in Arizona, which was closely tied to Klint Kubiak. The second-generation NFL leader chose the Raiders as his first HC landing spot, taking that job — ahead of Las Vegas’ Fernando Mendoza draft choice — shortly after the Seahawks won Super Bowl LX.
On the extension front, Matt LaFleur has joined McVay and Sean Payton in receiving new deals this offseason. The Broncos, Packers and Rams each extended both their HC and GM, Denver and Los Angeles doing so after berths in conference championship games. This will be Payton’s fourth year in Denver, though given all the turnover in the HC ranks this offseason, he is back among the top 10 in terms of tenure with his current team. This will be Payton’s 20th year as an NFL head coach.
Here is how the NFL’s coach tenure list looks heading into the 2026 season:
- Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs): January 4, 2013; signed extension in 2024
- Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams): January 12, 2017; signed extension in 2026
- Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers): February 6, 2017; signed extension in 2023
- Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers): January 8, 2019: signed extension in 2026
- Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals): February 4, 2019; signed extension in 2023
- Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions): January 20, 2021; signed extension in 2024
- Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles): January 21, 2021; signed extension in 2025
- Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings): February 2, 2022; signed extension in 2025
- Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): March 30, 2022; signed extension in 2025
- Sean Payton (Denver Broncos): January 31, 2023: signed extension in 2026
- DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans): January 31, 2023
- Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts): February 14, 2023
- Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers): January 24, 2024
- Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers): January 25, 2024
- Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks): January 31, 2024
- Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders): February 1, 2024
- Mike Vrabel (New England Patriots): January 12, 2025
- Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears): January 20, 2025
- Aaron Glenn (New York Jets): January 22, 2025
- Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 23, 2025
- Brian Schottenheimer (Dallas Cowboys): January 24, 2025
- Kellen Moore (New Orleans Saints): February 11, 2025
- John Harbaugh (New York Giants): January 17, 2026
- Kevin Stefanski (Atlanta Falcons): January 17, 2026
- Jeff Hafley (Miami Dolphins): January 19, 2026
- Robert Saleh (Tennessee Titans): January 19, 2026
- Jesse Minter (Baltimore Ravens): January 22, 2026
- Mike McCarthy (Pittsburgh Steelers): January 24, 2026
- Joe Brady (Buffalo Bills): January 27, 2026
- Todd Monken (Cleveland Browns): January 28, 2026
- Mike LaFleur (Arizona Cardinals): February 1, 2026
- Klint Kubiak (Las Vegas Raiders): February 9, 2026