Lions star Dan Skipper reveals infuriating way he was cut from the Colts

Detroit Lions offensive tackle Dan Skipper is a star now. But it was a long road for him to get there, and a new profile in ESPN chronicled his long journey to NFL success. But for the Indianapolis Colts, one story hits hard.

Today, as ESPN noted, Skipper is thriving in Detroit, and has quickly become a fan favorite. He struggled to find his footing in the NFL, though; after graduating from the University of Arkansas, he went undrafted in 2017, and ended up signing with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent. Over the next few years, he bounced around from one team to the next, frequently landing with the Lions. It was his fourth time signing with Detroit that stuck, however; he was named to the active roster in 2023, and his career exploded.

"It's just funny to hear a fan base chant an O-lineman's name, Dan Skipper's name, and cheer when he goes in there," Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley told ESPN'S Kalyn Kahler. "It's awesome."

Skipper has gone viral for his habit of vomiting post-game each week; one clip from head coach Dan Campbell's locker room speech featured Skipper throwing up in the background, as Campbell shouted, "There you go, Skip! Keep throwing up!"

The vomiting is, apparently, because Skipper puts so much effort into each and every game. "Skip is flying down the field, going to get a block. I mean, he's flying," teammate Kalif Raymond said. "His effort was off the charts. And [Campbell] is like, 'Do you think this guy wants to play here? Look how bad he wants it!'"

Skipper was passed over numerous times before having his breakout moment with the Lions; he isn't sore about that. But what he had to say about his brief time with the Colts makes the Indianapolis franchise look pretty bad.

In August of 2023, Skipper was signed to the Colts practice squad, and he was released less than a month later. That much he was used to. But it was the way the Colts handled it that had him so angry:

"Six times in his career he'd gotten the call during camp to come in to see the general manager or head coach, or both, to get the bad news. But Skipper says the way the Colts handled it last season "really stung." Instead of hearing it from head coach Shane Steichen or general manager Chris Ballard, Skipper says a pro personnel guy did it. "If you're going to fire me, at least be man enough to have the head man fire me," he says."

Ouch.

Why does this look so bad for the Colts? Well, simply put, because it's not the only time Steichen and Ballard have been criticized for how they handle their team.

In the 2024 season, Steichen made the decision to bench young quarterback Anthony Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco, a veteran. That decision in and of itself was roundly criticized, but when details of how the benching took place emerged, it made Steichen look even worse. Michael Pittman, Jr. opened the floodgates by admitting to reporters that he only found out about Richardson's benching on social media, and more players quickly came forward with the same story. Steichen, it seems, couldn't be bothered to inform his team about such a major roster change himself. When asked if the team supported his decision to bench Richardson, Steichen said he... didn't know.

On top of that, Steichen also failed to actually tell Richardson why he was being benched, what he needed to do to get his job back, or where he needed to improve.

Then, later in the season after Richardson had been promoted back to QB1, Steichen threw him right under the bus. When Richardson was unable to play in Week 17, he shrugged it off as being an issue of "soreness." His starting quarterback wasn't injured, he was just... sore. That clearly painted a very negative picture of Richardson, one of a soft QB who quit easily and couldn't handle the rigors of tackle football.

It turned out that Richardson actually had been suffering from back spasms due to a disc issue - spasms so crippling that he literally could not walk.

Seeing a pattern yet?

Steichen seems to be a head coach who consistently throws his own players under the bus, denies that there are problems, and refuses to communicate. It's the hallmark of an amateur who probably shouldn't be a head coach, but of course, the Colts are stuck with him for at least another year. But with headlines like these, Colts fans have every right to be worried. Consider free agency, for example; what free agent in their right mind would want to play in Indianapolis for a coach who treats his team this way?