Giants sign veteran center Matt Skura to practice squad, here’s what he brings

matt skura, new york giants

The Miami Dolphins signed veteran center Matt Skura to a one-year, $1.75 million deal this off-season. Since then, they have released him due to roster cuts, and the New York Giants came calling to scoop him up off the market.

Skura didn’t make it to the regular season with his new team, after spending his first five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Skura had issues last year snapping the football, which is a serious issue if you play center. It was a glaring problem during the Ravens’ Week 9 and 10 games, which ended up leading to a loss against the Patriots and him finding his way to the bench.

However, Skura is an experienced a veteran who has familiarity with Daniel Jones during their time together at Duke. As a former undrafted free agent, Skura was expected to be a starter for Miami in 2021, but after selecting second-round lineman Liam Eichenberg, things became a bit complicated.

Miami decided to go with a younger option who they can develop, making Skura expendable. This preseason, Matt played 61 snaps, all of them coming at center. He posted an 84 overall pass-blocking grade, per PFF, not allowing a sack, hurry, hit, or pressure. Of course, the sample size is small, but he’s always been known as a stronger pass blocker and inconsistent run blocker.

Skura will serve as a back up to Nick Gates for the time being, and the Giants also acquired Billy Price from the Cincinnati Bengals. While Skura is currently on the practice squad, he could easily end up finding his way to the active roster in case of injuries or deficiencies. The Giants still have a few unsolved positions to deal with, and the former UDFA could end up providing some value as the season progresses.

Last season with Baltimore, Skura was hit with one sack, four hits, five hurries, and 10 total pressures. He played 620 steps at the center, but after being benched in Week 11 against Tennessee, he sparingly played. Again, Skura is a decent center who simply has issues snapping the football at times, but otherwise is a competent blocker.