Surgeon addresses potential recovery timeline for Giants' Cam Skattebo

New York Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo was lost for the remainder of the season when he went down with a gruesome dislocation of his right ankle midway through the second quarter of the club's 38-20 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Understandably, pockets of Giants fans posting on social media have expressed fears regarding what Skattebo will and won't be coming off his brutal injury. For a piece published Monday, Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com spoke with foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Kenneth Jung, who is a consultant to the Los Angeles Rams, about Skattebo's recovery.

Will Cam Skattebo's injury threaten his career?

Skattebo underwent surgery at a Philadelphia-area hospital on Sunday night. That raised eyebrows regarding the seriousness of the injury. 

"I don’t think this is a career-ending injury," Jung said about Skattebo's setback. "He’s got enough time to rehab this adequately and be back by [Week 1] next season." 

While Jung hasn't personally evaluated Skattebo, the surgeon is an expert regarding these types of injuries. Jung suggested Skattebo also left Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field with a compound fracture. 

"If you look at his pictures, the foot is rotated to the outside," Jung said about what television cameras showed of Skattebo's injury. "So a lot of times, what happens is the bone on the inside of your ankle — that bump on the inside of your ankle, which is your tibia — can pop through the skin, because the skin is getting stretched. If there was blood immediately, then you know it’s a compound fracture." 

Cam Skattebo will look to follow in Dak Prescott's footsteps

Back in October 2020, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle while taking on the Giants. Prescott ultimately recovered in time to play in Dallas' regular-season opener in September 2021. 

"He’s got someone he can set up on his target as a goal," Jung said about Skattebo possibly completing a comeback similar to Prescott's. "This is a reasonable rehab goal." 

For now, a 2-6 Giants side that was already without No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers (torn ACL) will have to find a way to bounce back from losing its leading ball-carrier and an emotional spark as New York prepares to host the San Francisco 49ers (5-3) on Nov. 2. Fair or not, rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart may need to mature as a leader ahead of schedule so that the Giants don't phone-in the rest of what will likely be another losing campaign for the franchise.