Colts Add Depth to OL, Sign Former Lions Starter

The Indianapolis Colts have made a move to fortify the trenches, signing a former Detroit Lions starter.

The Indianapolis Colts have been busy early in the week, announcing their second signing on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, they announced they had signed running back Toriano Clinton. Tuesday afternoon the Colts announced they signed offensive lineman Dan Skipper. 

Skipper spent the bulk of his six-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions. He originally joined the Lions in 2017 from the University of Arkansas. The former Razorbacks standout saw his most action in the NFL last season when he played in 16 games for the Lions and started five.

At 6'9 and 317 pounds, Skipper will be hard to miss on the football field. He played the majority of his snaps last year at guard according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). He had 284 snaps at left guard and 60 at right guard... none at tackle.

The PFF scouts were not kind to Skipper last season with an overall grade of 43.9 and a paltry 19.6 pass-blocking grade. 

In corresponding moves the Colts announced they cut offensive tackle Jordan Murray as well as tight end Kaden Smith.

Another towering offensive lineman, the 6'9 Murray was a member of the Colts' practice squad last season and could find himself back in the same position in September.

Smith spent three years with the New York Giants as a 6th-round draft pick in 2019 out of Stanford. He finished his Giants career with 52 catches for 413 yards and three touchdowns (all as a rookie).

According to Patricia Traina of Giants Country, he failed a physical prior to the 2022 season and was cut by the Giants. He signed with the Colts in May.