Matt Skura‘s stint with the Dolphins has already come to an end. The Dolphins are cutting the veteran center, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
Back in March, Skura inked a one-year, $1.75MM deal ($400K guaranteed) with Miami. Today’s move will provide the organization with about $1.35MM in cap space.
The 28-year-old was expected to provide some experience to a young offensive line. However, it never sounded like the organization was committed to Skura as their starting center. Shortly after signing him, we learned that the Dolphins had still pursued center David Andrews before he landed back with the Patriots. We later heard that 2019 third-round pick Michael Deiter had likely earned the starting center gig, and it sounded like the team’s recent acquisition of lineman Greg Mancz could ultimately cost Skura his roster spot.
Skura had issues snapping the ball at times during his final season with the Ravens and wound up getting the hook in favor of Patrick Mekari. In total, he made 12 starts, giving him 51 total first-string appearances over the course of four seasons in Baltimore. Originally an UDFA out of Duke in 2016, Skura spent his rookie year on the practice squad. As a sophomore he was called on to start 12 games at guard when Marshal Yanda missed most of the season. The following year he became the team’s center, starting all 16 games. After starting 11 games in 2019 Skura tore an ACL and had significant other damage in his knee, but he made it back in time for 2020 training camp and started the season on time.
A squad like Pitt could use him.
Could they use a veteran center? Very possibly, but I for one hope it’s not Skura. He was awful whenever I saw him last year.
Seattle could use the help.
Hard to understand how an NFL lineman can have trouble snapping the ball – as they have likely made tens of thousands of snaps in their prep/college/pro career.
Would an injury to his snapping hand make any difference in your question? He was fine for years until this past season right after he injured his hand. Makes ya think.
But another issues can be a mental block that happens to players all the time. Former Yankee 2B Steve Sax had to eventually move to the OF because he literally couldn’t throw the ball to 1B anymore from 2B due to the “yips.”
The Ravens managed to get Hayden Hurst after he got a case of the “yips” as a professional baseball pitcher. He couldn’t throw the ball to home plate anymore even though he’d done it all his life.
Ed makes some great points. Skura was good in Baltimore until that hand injury (which played a large part in losing that New England game), but he was hitting his run blocks well. Mekari and Bozeman did well in filling in, but before that hand injury at the beginning of last year, Skura looked pretty good.
I guess the Dolphins weren’t impressed enough to keep him, which says something considering their very young and very raw o-line (a line that is seeing multiple inexperienced starters playing new positions). This seemed like it coming all along, but I am still a bit curious why they didn’t at least attempt to retain Skura, and if he was really that bad to be worth dropping as an experienced starter. I’m not saying that they’re wrong (not that I would know), just that it seems in some way odd to me. Maybe Skura’s hand really is that bad. Maybe he really lost it. Either way, I doubt this is what Miami had in mind.
Or they think that they can easily resign him again later once more cuts are finally made.
As the article rightly points out, he also had injuries to both knees. It could be a combination of him not being as mobile/strong after those injuries and the hand still being an issue.
Maybe they bought him in with the expectation of him running away with the starting job and when he didn’t impress enough to be more than a back up center/guard they started to look at other options?
If I were him I would keep in shape and keep practicing snapping the ball because injuries happen all the time and I am sure somebody will come kicking the tires on him again.
Agreed, good points.
Lol. Can anybody tell me what Miami’s actual plan is?
I just hope it doesn’t include another Pet Detective movie.
Not going to mention the hand injury that started his snapping issues last year at all? You’d think that would be a pretty big part of the story to miss since he didn’t have problems snapping the ball until that hand injury happened.