Giants 2022 UFA Primer: OL Matt Skura

Matt Skura, IOL

Height: 6’3”
Weight: 305 lbs.
Age: 29
NFL Exp.: 5 seasons
College: Duke

The New York Giants signed free-agent center Matt Skura to their practice squad in August to provide depth. Then in late September, after the team lost Nick Gates to a season-ending broken leg, Skura was elevated to the 53-man roster.

Though he wouldn’t play a single snap until Week 4, Skura started every game following the Giants' matchup against the Saints and predominantly did so from the left guard position. The last time Skura played as a guard was his rookie season for the Baltimore Ravens in 2017, where he played 732 snaps from the right guard position.

2021 Recap

Over his five years in the league, Skura put forth the worst performance of his career in his sole season with the Giants. Although he was playing out of position throughout the entire season (he logged in just 56 of his total 769 offensive line snaps from the center position), Skura struggled to make much of his consistent starting opportunities and proved to be a liability against the pass.

In 14 games played, Skura managed to finish first on the team in hits allowed (10), placed second in pressures (32), and recorded a career-low pass-blocking efficiency rating (96.2). Despite providing solid run blocking and keeping his sack count to only two on the year, Skura found it challenging to produce the pass protection the way he once used to as a rookie right guard for the Ravens, where he only conceded one sack and posted a 97.1 pass-blocking efficiency percentage.

Skura also tied a career-high in penalties conceded last season, two of which were holds while the other two were false starts. (In 2017, Skura had no penalties at all.) Skura's performance suggested that guard simply isn't an ideal fit.

Why Giants Should Keep Him

At age 29, Skura is still young and can provide a steady presence if the Giants should run into more injury setbacks on their offensive line. Skura was also one of the better run blockers for the Giants this past season, finishing with a 61.4 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. Skura should be available for an inexpensive contract.

Why Giants Should Not Keep Him

Skura's play at left guard left much to be desired and reinforced the notion that center is his true calling. It also spoke volumes that when Nick Gates was injured in Week 3, the Giants turned to and stuck with Billy Price at center, even when Price himself was having issues.

Despite a half-decent display against the run, Skura’s pass-blocking was a disaster. He finished with a career-low 29.5 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus as he allowed a career-high 32 quarterback pressures.

Keep or Dump?

The Giants could undoubtedly use Skura as an inexpensive depth player, but if they're to fix the offensive line once and for all, they probably need to move on from Skura and look to acquire depth via the draft. 

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