Tag: Matt Skura

Former Ravens center Matt Skura announces retirement from NFL

Former Ravens center Matt Skura announces retirement from NFL

Former Baltimore Ravens undrafted center Matt Skura officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday.

“Thank you to the City of Baltimore and the entire Ravens organization,” Skura wrote on Instagram. “Baltimore became home, where Emma and I raised our family, formed lifelong relationships and became a part of the community. I’m extremely fortunate to have started my career in place that values hard work, leadership, accountability, and integrity.”

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A post shared by Matt Skura (@mskura62)

Skura was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Duke in 2016. After spending his first season on Baltimore’s practice squad, Skura became a starter at right guard in 2017 following a season-ending ankle injury to Marshal Yanda. The following season in 2018, Skura replaced the departed Ryan Jensen as the starting center, holding the position until a knee injury ended his season in 2019 against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.

After leaving the Ravens in 2021, Skura signed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins but was released on August 30 before the start of the season. Skura went on to have short stints with the New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, and Dolphins a second time.

Skura is just one in a long list of examples of Baltimore identifying and developing offensive linemen, particularly under late offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris.

Following the passing of D’Alessandris in August, Skura was one of many former players to write about his impact.

“There are a few special people that go beyond the call of ‘coach’ and impact your life the way Joe D did for me.” Skura wrote on Instagram.

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A post shared by Matt Skura (@mskura62)

 

Former Ravens center Matt Skura posted a touching tribute to Joe D’Alessandris

Tributes poured in from all over the football world, with former Ravens center Matt Skura providing one of the deepest and most powerful.

Baltimore Ravens Offensive Line Coach Joe D’Alessandris passed away this weekend due to an undisclosed illness at 70.

Tributes poured in from all over the football world, with former Ravens center Matt Skura providing one of the deepest and most powerful.

Skura was signed as an undrafted free agent by Baltimore in May 2016. He went on to become a regular starter for the Ravens, first at the right guard position during his rookie year and then at center for the next three seasons.

The mentoring and coaching of D’Alessandris were critical to Skura’s development and ascension.

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“There are a few special people that go beyond the call of ‘coach’ and impact your life the way Joe D did for me,” Skura wrote on his Instagram account.

“He was truly invested in all his players’ lives and cared about how they grew as men. Our conversations would make my day and made me feel everything was going to be okay.

“Thank you for making me a better husband, father, and person. Your legacy will carry on through the lives you touched.”

Those are very touching words from the six-year NFL veteran.

Over a four-year span, Skura played in 54 games for Baltimore, starting 51 of them. The Columbus, Ohio, native is currently without a team after spending the 2023 season on the Miami Dolphins practice squad.

Dolphins sign two offensive linemen on Thursday

The Dolphins add two offensive lineman on

The Miami Dolphins have some depth issues along their offensive line, as they were down to just one starter on Monday against the Tennessee Titans.

Left tackle Terron Armstead and right guard Robert Hunt were inactive for the contest due to injuries, left guard Isaiah Wynn has been on injured reserve for a while now and center Connor Williams suffered a torn ACL in the contest.

Now, the Dolphins are adding some players to the mix upfront, as the team announced that they’ve signed Jonotthan Harrison to their 53-man roster and Matt Skura to the practice squad.

Harrison, 32, was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts in 2014 following a collegiate career at Florida. He spent three seasons with the Colts, three with the New York Jets and one with the Buffalo Bills. Over the last three seasons, he’s been on the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons practice squads. He’s started 42 career games at center, with the last one coming in 2019.

Skura, 30, was also an undrafted free agent of the Baltimore Ravens in 2016 after playing at Duke. He spent the first five seasons with the Ravens before joining the Dolphins in 2021, but he didn’t make the roster. He spent the last two seasons with the Giants and Los Angeles Rams. Skura has started 73 games in his career mostly at center.

5 free agents the Rams should consider re-signing this offseason

The Rams should consider re-signing these 5 free agents in the offseason.

After winning a Super Bowl a season ago, the Los Angeles Rams are entering unchartered territory in the Sean McVay era. Regardless of whether or not McVay returns in 2023 following a 5-12 campaign, the Rams are expected to have a decent amount of roster turnover this offseason.

With the Rams not being in the postseason, they’ll have a little more time to determine what free agents they want to bring back next season. While Los Angeles has 24 total free agents, we’ll be focusing on unrestricted or restricted free agents in this article.

Taking that into account, let’s take a look at the five free agents the Rams should consider bringing back in free agency this offseason.

5 Rams to watch in Week 12 vs. Chiefs

The Rams will travel to take on the Chiefs in Week 12 and we have 5 players to keep an eye on during Sunday’s contest.

The Los Angeles Rams enter Week 12 with a dismal 3-7 record and they’ll have to travel to square off against the Kansas City Chiefs, who have reeled off four straight wins. The Chiefs are currently 15.5-point favorites over the Rams for Sunday’s contest, making it the biggest spread as the underdog in Sean McVay’s tenure in Los Angeles.

Injuries continue to negatively affect the reigning Super Bowl champions as Matthew Stafford has been ruled out for Sunday’s game and A’Shawn Robinson was placed on season-ending injured reserve. The Rams also have multiple offensive linemen questionable or sidelined.

With the Rams just looking to stay healthy and see positive signs down the final stretch of the regular season, here are five players to watch in Sunday’s matchup with the Chiefs.

5 Rams to watch in Week 6 vs. Panthers

The Rams will host the Panthers in Week 6 and here are 5 players to keep an eye on.

The Los Angeles Rams are set to host the Carolina Panthers in Week 6 at SoFi Stadium. The Rams enter Sunday’s matchup with a 2-3 record after losing back-to-back games to the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys by a combined score of 46-19.

Fans should expect some changes to the offensive line amid all of the injuries and struggles to begin the season. Speaking of changes, the Panthers will have a new head coach in Steve Wilks and a new quarterback in P.J. Walker on Sunday with the firing of Matt Rhule and Baker Mayfield dealing with an ankle sprain.

With the Rams desperately needing a win against the Panthers in Week 6, let’s take a look at five players that fans should be watching.

Rams activate Jacob Harris, Matt Skura from practice squad ahead of Week 5 matchup vs. Cowboys

The Rams have activated both Jacob Harris and Matt Skura from their practice squad ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Cowboys.

The Los Angeles Rams have made a couple of roster moves ahead of their matchup with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, including promoting two players from their practice squad. Just one day before the Rams host the Cowboys, they’ve activated Jacob Harris and Matt Skura from their practice squad.

Harris was likely brought up from the practice squad to provide some depth at the wide receiver position. After playing a mixture of tight end and wide receiver for the Rams as a rookie in 2021, Harris has made the full transition to playing wide receiver moving forward.

With Harris being promoted from the practice squad, that means that we could potentially see Tutu Atwell be a healthy scratch again in Week 5. On the other hand, the Rams could simply be adding more depth on the offensive side of the ball.

Meanwhile, Skura brings much-needed depth to a Rams team that has suffered a few injuries to the interior of their offensive line. While David Edwards is returning on Sunday for Los Angeles, Brian Allen and Coleman Shelton won’t be active versus Dallas.

Skura has plenty of experience in the NFL as he’s started in 65 games with the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Giants from 2017 to 2021. Even though Jeremiah Kolone is expected to start at center on Sunday, Skura could be an option if Kolone struggles against the Cowboys.

Rams sign former Ravens starting C Matt Skura to practice squad

The Rams have added a former starting center to their practice squad, signing Matt Skura on Wednesday

Needing offensive line depth, the Los Angeles Rams have found a former starting center to bring into the fold. On Wednesday, the Rams signed Matt Skura to the practice squad. He last played for the Giants in 2021 after spending four seasons with the Ravens.

Skura has started 65 games in his career, including 14 last season in New York, but failed to make a 53-man roster this season. Brian Allen is expected to miss another 1-3 weeks with a knee injury, so at the very least, Skura provides depth on an offensive line that’s been decimated by injuries.

Skura came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2016, signing with the Ravens after the draft. He played his college ball at Duke and while he’s not the biggest center (6-foot-3, 305 pounds), he has been a quality starter in the past.

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Austin Johnson, Azeez Ojulari were highest-graded Giants in Week 13

New York Giants DT Austin Johnson and LB Azeez Ojulari earned the team’s highest PFF grades in a Week 13 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The New York Giants hit a low point on Sunday during a 20-9 loss to the Miami Dolphins, and that’s saying something. But their offense managed just three field goals, failing to score a touchdown for the first time this season.

Their end-of-half struggles also continued, while an over-worked defense faded at times.

Understandably, their Pro Football Focus grades for Week 13 are not great. And on the offensive side of the ball, the team saw some of their lowest collective grades of 2021.

Leading the way on offense was left tackle Andrew Thomas, who earned an overall grade of 72.1. He was followed by running back Devontae Booker (70.9) and tight end Evan Engram (70.0).

Other notable offensive grades include wide receiver Kenny Golladay (66.0), guard Ben Bredeson (60.3) and running back Saquon Barkley (45.3).

The lowest-graded Giants on offense were quarterback Mike Glennon (40.9) and guard Matt Skura (40.8).

New York saw much better grades on defense, led by defensive tackle Austin Johnson (83.3). He was followed by rookie edge rusher Azeez Ojulari (82.5) and linebacker Benardrick McKinney (79.3).

Other notable defensive grades include linebacker Quincy Roche (75.8), safety Logan Ryan (65.6) and rookie cornerback Aaron Robinson (60.4).

The lowest-graded Giants on defense were cornerback James Bradberry (45.4) and defensive end Raymond Johnson (33.7).

Cornerback Jarren Williams led the special teams unit with a grade of 74.7.

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Giants defeat Eagles: Winners, losers and those in between

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the New York Giants’ Week 12 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

With thoughts of revenge on their mind, the New York Giants came out in Week 12 and took it to the Philadelphia Eagles — at least defensively.

With Freddie Kitchens unsurprisingly calling the offensive plays, things did not improve. It’s as if the ghost of Jason Garrett remained. The offensive line also once again contributed to the struggles.

But when push came to shove, the Giants did what they had to do. Their defense forced four turnovers and came up big in the fourth quarter three separate times.

The Giants led the game wire-to-wire and now have four wins on the season.