The Detroit Lions retained one of their own free agents Tuesday, re-signing offensive lineman Dan Skipper.
If Skipper’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he was the other lineman involved in the tackle eligible controversy in the Lions’ late season loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Detroit left tackle Taylor Decker reported as an eligible receiver, but the officials on the scene missed it, instead saying it was Skipper who signaled he was eligible. The confusion nullified a potential game-winning two-point conversion from Decker.
After ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler broke the news today that the Lions were bringing Skipper back on a one-year deal, the jokes began flowing on X/Twitter.
“T̶a̶y̶l̶o̶r̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶k̶e̶r̶ Dan Skipper reporting,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote.
“Is Dan Skipper re-signing or Taylor Decker?” asked the Chiefs Hive account.
“Did he report as eligible for the deal?” another fan asked.
“Is this Taylor Decker resigning or Skipper?” a Lions fan said.
“T̶a̶y̶l̶o̶r̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶k̶e̶r̶ Dan Skipper is back on a one-year deal!” said the Pride of Detroit.
Skipper, who made his NFL debut with the Lions in 2017, has spent his entire career in Detroit, save for a three-game stint with the Houston Texans in 2019.
The 6-foot-9, 300-pound lineman has played in 40 regular season games in his career, making six starts, all in the last two seasons.