NFL likely to punish Eagles star for tackle that injured Giants’ Cam Skattebo
New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo suffered a gruesome right leg injury during a Week 8 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon.
Skattebo was tackled by Eagles linebacker Zack Baun on an attempted catch across the middle of the field. The rookie running back’s legs folded underneath him as Baun dropped his bodyweight to the turf at Lincoln Financial Field.
The injury was so bad that the Fox Sports broadcast chose not to show a replay. Giants medical staff stabilized Skattebo’s right leg in a walking boot and carted him off the field midway through the second quarter.
Baun’s hit on Skattebo appeared to be a textbook hip-drop tackle, though it was not called on the field.
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Each week, the NFL evaluates every penalty flag and controversial no-call from the previous week of league action. Given the optics of this no-call, Baun is likely facing a significant fine.
The first offense of an illegal hip-drop tackle yields a $17,389 fine from the NFL. Upon second offense, that fine jumps to $23,186.
According to the NFL rule book, a hip-drop tackle is when a player “grabs the runner with one or both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; and unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and/or trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.”
The league identified officiating hip-drop tackles as a point of emphasis before the 2025 season.
Four players were issued fines for hip-drop tackles in Week 7: Panthers’ D.J. Wonnum, Rams’ Quentin Lake, Chargers’ Quentin Johnston and Titans’ Kevin Winston.
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Skattebo was in the midst of an electrifying rookie season with the Giants. Entering Sunday’s Week 8 matchup against the Eagles, the fourth-round draft pick had 398 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, 189 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
Before he was carted off in Week 8, Skattebo had 12 rushing yards and an 18-yard receiving touchdown from rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
