Dan Skipper

Dan Skipper (born September 20, 1994) is an American football offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arkansas. At 6 feet 10 inches tall, Skipper is currently the tallest active player in the NFL.

Early years
Skipper was born in Arvada, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. He attended Ralston Valley High School. As a junior, he contributed to the team having a 10–2 record and reaching the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs.

As a senior, he helped get Ralston Valley to the state semifinals, while receiving 5A all-state honors. He received multiple scholarship offers for athletics only, ultimately choosing the University of Arkansas.

College career
As a freshman, he appeared in all 12 games and started the last eight at right offensive guard. He blocked a single-season school record three field goal attempts. He contributed to Alex Collins becoming the second freshman in school history and 10th true freshman in Southeastern Conference (SEC) history to rush for 1,000 yards. Collins and Jonathan Williams also became the second Razorback running back duo to each reach at least 900 rushing yards in the same season. Skipper was recognized as a Freshman All-American.

As a sophomore, he started all 13 games at left tackle, was a part of an offensive line that led the SEC with 14 sacks allowed and earned an Associated Press All-SEC honorable-mention. He contributed for Collins and Williams to be the only FBS teammates to each rush for 1,000-plus yards in the 2014 season.

As a junior, he started all 13 games at right tackle and was named second-team All-SEC. He contributed to running back Collins becoming the third player in SEC history with three straight 1,000-yard campaigns to begin his career.

As a senior, he started all 13 games at left tackle and made the All-SEC team of the Coaches Poll, ESPN, Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, Lindy's Sports and Sporting News. He contributed to Rawleigh Williams III winning the SEC regular rushing title with 1,326 yards and Austin Allen throwing for an conference-best 3,430 yards.

He appeared in 51 games and finished his career with 47 straight starts (second-longest streak in school history), 7 blocked field goal attempts on special teams (school record) and became one of six offensive linemen in program history to earn All-SEC honors twice.

Pre-draft
Skipper went undrafted during the 2017 NFL Draft. It was speculated that he went undrafted due to a chronic blood condition that was discovered during prospect evaluations. After not receiving a contract as an undrafted free agent, Skipper received an invitation to attend the Dallas Cowboys' rookie minicamp as a tryout candidate.

Dallas Cowboys
Skipper was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cowboys after the 2017 NFL Draft on May 16.

Throughout training camp, he competed for a roster spot against Emmett Cleary, Clay DeBord, Ruben Carter, and Kadeem Edwards. On September 2, 2017, he was waived by the Cowboys and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 20, 2017.

Detroit Lions
On September 25, 2017, Skipper was signed to the Detroit Lions' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on October 26, 2017. On October 31, 2017, he was waived in order for the Lions to sign Don Barclay and was re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Lions on January 1, 2018.

On September 1, 2018, Skipper was waived by the Lions and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 5, 2018.

Denver Broncos
On November 27, 2018, Skipper was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad.

New England Patriots
On January 8, 2019, Skipper was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad. Skipper was a part of the Patriots Super Bowl LIII championship team when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13–3. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Patriots on February 5, 2019. He was released during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019. He was signed to the practice squad the next day.

Houston Texans
On October 16, 2019, Skipper was signed by the Houston Texans off the Patriots practice squad. He was waived on November 11, 2019.

Detroit Lions (second stint)
On November 12, 2019, Skipper was claimed off waivers by the Lions. He was waived on November 22 and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 14, 2019.

Skipper was waived/injured by the Lions during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and subsequently reverted to the team's injured reserve list the next day. He was waived with an injury settlement on September 14. He was re-signed to the Lions practice squad on October 21, 2020. He was elevated to the active roster on November 14 and December 12 for the team's weeks 10 and 14 games against the Washington Football Team and Green Bay Packers, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. On December 19, 2020, Skipper was promoted to the active roster. For the team's week 17 game against the Minnesota Vikings, Skipper played 9 downs at defensive tackle.

On August 30, 2021, Skipper was waived/injured by the Lions and placed on injured reserve. He was released on September 6, 2021.

Las Vegas Raiders
On October 13, 2021, Skipper was signed to the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad. He was released on November 3.

Detroit Lions (third stint)
On November 19, 2021, Skipper was signed to the Lions' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Lions on January 10, 2022.

On August 30, 2022, Skipper was released by the Lions and signed to the practice squad the next day. This was an emotional moment for the HBO show, Hard Knocks, when Skipper asked "What could I have done different?". On September 18, 2022, in a Week 2 matchup versus the Washington Commanders, Skipper started at guard, a position he had not played since freshman year in college. In the locker room after the Lions' 36–27 win, head coach Dan Campbell recognized "Skip" for his performance, a video clip of which went viral. He was signed to the active roster on October 1. He appeared in a career-high 16 games, while starting in 5 contests as an injury fill-in. He was not re-signed after the season.

Indianapolis Colts
On August 1, 2023, Skipper signed with the Indianapolis Colts. He was released on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 4.

Detroit Lions (fourth stint)
On September 20, 2023, Skipper was signed to the Lions practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on October 14. In the sixteenth game against the Cowboys, he was involved in a controversial call that negated the team a successful two-point conversion with 23 seconds left and a potential win, after officials flagged Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker for an illegal touching penalty, as a result of a confusion in which the Lions tackle was accidentally reported as an eligible receiver by the referee.

On March 14, 2024, Skipper re-signed with the Lions.