Cam Skattebo should be back to running over linebackers and sticking backflips by the start of next season.
Skattebo underwent successful surgery on his dislocated ankle Sunday night and was released Monday from Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia, the Giants announced.
“Thank you everyone for the support!!” Skattebo wrote on X. “Surgery went well. I just want to thank the city of Philly for taking the best care of me. Every moment I spent in the hospital with family and friends I felt loved and supported in every way. Thank you to the doctors, surgeons and staff that did their best work on me.”
Dr. Eric Friedman — the Charleston, S.C.-based team doctor for USA Ski & Snowboard team — and NYU Langone sports orthopedic surgeon Kirk A. Campbell shared the opinion with The Post that Skattebo likely suffered an open fracture in addition to a dislocation, after reviewing television video of Skattebo’s gruesome injury Sunday against the Eagles. In other words, a bone punctured skin before Skattebo was placed in an air cast.
“An open injury is considered an orthopedic emergency, and the big concern is that the sterile inside can be contaminated by bacteria on the dirty outside and you can have an infection complicate whatever injury you have,” Dr. Guillem Gonzalez-Lomas, an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine who watched the video but has not examined Skattebo, told The Post. “In general, these are injuries we want to wash out with sterile saline and place the patient on antibiotics as soon as possible.
Cam Skattebo gets carted off after suffering an ankle injury against the Eagles on Oct. 26, 2025. AP
“The fact that he had surgery [Sunday] night probably tells us that they felt it was very time sensitive. If you were able to get the ankle back in place, sometimes you would let the swelling go down for a week or two before proceeding with the definitive treatment.”
Even with an open injury, Gonzalez-Lomas said “there is a good chance” Skattebo can be back on the field for training camp in July, barring any setbacks. Of course, running backs do more slashing, leaping and accelerating than other positions.
“He’s going to be stressing the ankle a lot in the way that it was injured,” Gonzalez-Lomas said. “That said, the ankle does have a fair amount of inherent stability. If you add a solid repair to it, you should have a stable ankle. The question is going to be more about stiffness, pain and if there are other associated cartilage injuries that may not manifest for several months or years. As far as him regaining stability and all of the muscle coordination that he needs to be able to play, that is something the training staff should be able to get him to — or close to — where he was.”
Skattebo, who scored his fourth touchdown in 5 ½ quarters of two games against the Eagles on Sunday, was given a warm ovation by the notoriously hostile Philadelphia crowd as he rode off on the cart following the controversial tackle by Zack Baun. The show of respect between rivals continued Monday, when Eagles chief of security Dom DiSandro dropped off pizza and cheesesteaks for Skattebo at the hospital, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer report.
Skattebo, 23, was FaceTiming teammate Greg Van Roten and texting with head coach Brian Daboll late Sunday night and before dawn Monday.
“Obviously, he’ll be missed, but he’s got a road ahead of him,” Daboll said. “A guy that has sparked us with a lot of energy and toughness, but the infectious personality that he has as well. It was at 4:08 a.m. I got a text from him. That’s Skatt. [His spirits] are as good as can be through text.”
The next two weeks will require rest, elevation and cryotherapy to bring down inflammation, Gonzalez-Lomas said. If all goes well, recovery will progress to non-weight-bearing range of motion exercises, and, in about 4-6 weeks, to protective weight-bearing exercises. In “several months,” after stiffness has decreased and strength is improved, he can progress to sports-specific activities.
“The devil is in the details,” Gonzalez-Lomas said. “It really depends on how quickly he gets through every phase. The ankle suffered a lot of trauma. It’s going to take some time for all that energy to calm down. The main thing is you want to be like Goldilocks: You want to be doing everything just right.”
Medical staff attending to New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) who injured his leg during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) reacts after an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. AP
The fan favorite will finish his rookie season with 101 carries for 410 yards and seven touchdowns from scrimmage, currently a team high.
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Thank you
“This is just the beginning of my journey and I can’t wait to show you guys all about it!!! GOD has a plan for me, stick the course and it will all work itself out,” Skattebo wrote, adding the acronym for Be Right Back, a saluting emoji and #LFG.
Former NFL quarterback Alex Smith contracted an infection after suffering an open tibia fracture in 2018 and it cut short his career, though he returned for six games in 2020. It is unknown if Skattebo will need another surgery, but isolated ankle dislocations without fractures are considered rare.
“As long as he can avoid infection,” Friedman said, “he should be ready to go Week 1 next year.”