In the wake of Connor Williams‘ ACL tear, Mike McDaniel said the Dolphins would consider outside options. The AFC East leaders will act on that, signing two experienced centers.
The Dolphins are adding Jonotthan Harrison to their active roster and signing Matt Skura to the practice squad. Harrison will take Williams’ roster spot; the Dolphins placed their two-year starting pivot on IR.
The structure of this two-center plan is a bit unusual, considering Skura started eight Rams games last season and Harrison has not played in a regular-season game since 2019. But both will head to Miami as emergency depth options. The Dolphins are preparing to slide Liam Eichenberg from guard to center, where the third-year lineman played in place of an injured Williams in Week 4.
Harrison, 32, has 42 career starts on his resume. Skura, 30, has 73. Both have bounced around over the past few seasons, but the most notable centers available either announced plans to retire recently or were linked to considering it.
Last seeing action with the Jets in 2019, Harrison has journeyed the Eastern Time Zone since. Starting 10 games for the 2019 Jets, Harrison has since joined the Bills, Giants and Falcons. After spending much of last season on Atlanta’s practice squad, Harrison went to camp with the team this summer. The Falcons cut Harrison in August; he has been out of football since. Harrison is best known for his time in Indianapolis and New York. He started 23 games for the Colts and 19 for the Jets.
Skura, who joined a battered Rams O-line during the 2022 season, would seem a more likely candidate to contribute. But he will join Miami’s P-squad. The Ravens used Skura as a four-year starter, deploying him at guard and center. A modest market awaited the former UDFA in free agency, leading him to the Giants in 2021. It took until late September of last year for Skura to land a gig. As injuries decimated the Rams’ front, Skura stepped in and started eight games. Pro Football Focus graded Skura as an adequate pass blocker last season but maligned his run-blocking performance.
The Dolphins, who let backup Michael Deiter walk in free agency, still have Lester Cotton as an interior backup option. But Skura and Harrison are now part of the contingency plan.