After the NFL trade deadline came and went on Tuesday, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan revealed that a New York Giants team that was clearly interested in acquiring a running back reached out to the Atlanta Falcons about a possible deal involving superstar playmaker Bijan Robinson.
On Wednesday morning, Raanan expanded on the Giants’ pursuit of a ball-carrier.
Giants clearly didn’t like what they heard during calls about running backs
According to Raanan, the Giants “called the Tennessee Titans about Tony Pollard and looked into Justice Hill with the Baltimore Ravens before the deadline, according to sources.”
Raanan added that the Giants “offered a second-round draft pick, a future fifth-rounder and an unknown player” to the Indianapolis Colts for Jonathan Taylor. However, the Colts reportedly wanted “at least a first-round equivalent in any package” for Taylor. The Giants eventually pulled their offer to Indy.
The Titans seemingly weren’t all that interested in trading Pollard amid their ongoing evaluations of second-year quarterback Cam Ward. Meanwhile, the Ravens reportedly aren’t punting on the rest of the season because they believe starting quarterback Lamar Jackson could return from his thumb injury in late December.
Unsurprisingly, Raanan mentioned that “multiple league sources believe…that Robinson is untouchable as the face of the Falcons.” Robinson signed a three-year, $75M contract extension that included $51M guaranteed this past August.
Cam Skattebo sounds ready to run with purpose after trade rumors
Second-year Giants running back Cam Skattebo missed one game with a hamstring injury, but he is set to resume serving as the club’s primary back when 5-2-1 New York hosts the 2-5-1 Washington Commanders on Thursday night.
“I’ve been that guy,” Skattebo said Tuesday about remaining the Giants’ RB1 after the club didn’t add a big-name back, per Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports. “Obviously, we had that one-week hiccup where I got in trouble. That was it. I came back that next week and handled business. They know what I’m capable of. They know what I can do.”
Skattebo rushed for a team-high 124 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries before he hurt his hamstring late in the Giants’ 27-21 overtime win over the Houston Texans on Oct. 25. New York entered its bye after that victory.
“You’ve seen what I can do,” Skattebo added on Tuesday. “When I come out, and I’m ready to play football, I can be one of the most dangerous backs in the league. Simple as that.”
