Matt Skura (born February 17, 1993) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
who is a free agent. He played
college football at
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
and signed with the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2016.
Early years
Skura attended
Worthington Kilbourne High School
Worthington Kilbourne High School (WKHS) is a public school located in Columbus, Ohio, United States, and is part of the Worthington City School District. Kilbourne was named after James Kilbourne, the founder of the city of Worthington. The sc ...
in
Columbus, Ohio. He was listed as the No. 13
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
in the nation by
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
and served as a
team captain
In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...
as a senior.
College career
Served as team captain as a senior. Played in 50 career games (40 starts), Skura was a two-time All-
Atlantic Coast Conference selection.
Professional career
Baltimore Ravens
Skura was signed by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
as an undrafted free agent on May 6, 2016. He was waived on September 3, 2016, and was signed to the
practice squad the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Ravens on January 2, 2017.
On September 2, 2017, Skura was waived by the Ravens and was later re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 19, 2017. He started 12 games at right guard for the Ravens in 2017 in place of the injured
Marshal Yanda
Marshal John Yanda (born September 15, 1984) is an American former football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at the University of Iowa, and was drafted by the Ravens i ...
, missing two games due to a knee injury.
After
Ryan Jensen departed in free agency, Skura was named the starting center in 2018, where he started all 16 games.
In 2019, Skura started the first 11 games at center before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 12 against the
Los Angeles Rams and was placed on
injured reserve the following day. The Ravens did, however, go on to win that game, 45–6. Skura's team would go on to finish 14-2 and lose to the 6th seeded
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
in the Divisional Round 28-12.
Skura re-signed on a one-year
restricted free agent
A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...
tender on April 10, 2020. He was placed on the active/
physically unable to perform list
Physically unable to perform (PUP) is a roster designation used in the National Football League (NFL) for players who suffered injuries during football-related activities prior to the start of training camp. Players on the PUP list may participate ...
at the start of
training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...
on August 2, 2020. He was activated on August 16, 2020. In Week 10 against the
New England Patriots, Skura's snaps led to three botched
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
-center exchanges during the 23–17 loss. He was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
list by the team on November 25, 2020, and activated on December 4.
Miami Dolphins (first stint)
On March 19, 2021, Skura signed a one-year contract with the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
. He was released on August 30, 2021.
New York Giants
On September 2, 2021, Skura was signed to the
New York Giants practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 16, 2021. On November 3, 2021, the Giants announced that Skura was in the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
protocol. On November 4, 2021 the Giants announced that Skura was cleared to return to practice.
Los Angeles Rams
On September 21, 2022, Skura signed with the practice squad of the Rams. He was promoted to the active roster on October 11, 2022.
Miami Dolphins (second stint)
On December 13, 2023, Skura was signed to the Dolphins practice squad. He was not signed to a reserve/future contract after the season and thus became a free agent upon the expiration of his practice squad contract.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skura, Matt
1993 births
Living people
American football centers
Baltimore Ravens players
Duke Blue Devils football players
Los Angeles Rams players
Miami Dolphins players
New York Giants players
Players of American football from Columbus, Ohio