Giants cut a back, but Cam Skattebo still has work to do

The Giants finally removed a name from their crowded backfield. Now I want them to explain the remaining jobs and make the players earn them.

New York released Najee Harris on Tuesday , leaving Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary on the active roster. That gives the offense fewer backs to accommodate. It does not automatically make Skattebo a dependable lead runner.

Cam Skattebo's next Giants opportunity needs a standard

Skattebo has 294 yards on 81 carries, or 3.6 per attempt, with one rushing touchdown. Harris leaves behind 99 yards on 31 carries. Removing the less productive veteran is understandable, but neither set of results supports declaring the rushing attack fixed.

The concern with Skattebo extends beyond the average. His official season record includes four fumbles, with one lost. Four fumbles are not four turnovers, and there is no reason to inflate the criticism. There is plenty to address in the actual number.

He had no carries against New Orleans. Whatever the intended rotation, the practical outcome left the Giants ' leading rusher without a rushing attempt. Cutting Harris makes it harder to explain away another week in which a committee leaves an important player out of the running game entirely.

I'd give Skattebo a defined early assignment against Houston and use it to evaluate more than yardage. Does he protect the ball through contact? Does he take the available gain? Can the offense return to him after an unproductive series without abandoning the rest of the plan? Those are better questions than whether he receives a ceremonial first carry.

A smaller committee can still be a bad committee

Tracy and Singletary remain alternatives. If either executes better, the Giants should use him. The point of a clearer rotation is to make performance matter, not to guarantee Skattebo touches regardless of what follows.

Nor can a backfield transaction settle the blocking. Removing Harris doesn't improve a missed assignment up front or establish who will be available along the line this week. Skattebo's numbers are part of an offensive problem, not proof that every failed run belongs to him.

The Giants haven't announced a new feature-back role or established that any public comments caused the release. We should not invent either. What changed Tuesday is the personnel. What needs to change Sunday is the clarity: give Skattebo a real opportunity, keep alternatives involved for a reason and stop allowing the rotation itself to become another explanation for poor production.