Seattle Sea Dragons linebacker Tuzar Skipper and his defensive teammates certainly know what they will be facing when the undefeated Houston Roughnecks come to Lumen Field on Thursday night with the highest-scoring offense in the XFL.
That’s because the Roughnecks (4-0) utilize the same run-and-shoot offense that the Sea Dragons (2-2) use. Of course, knowing it and stopping it are two different things.
“Shout out to those guys, they’re one hell of a team as well,” said Skipper, 27, who leads the Sea Dragons with three sacks. “But what we’ve got to do is just focus on ourselves and focus on the ball that we know how to play. I feel that once we get rolling, and we’re focused on the way we know how to play, that it’s going to be one hell of a game.”
The Sea Dragons come into the game on a two-game winning streak, and the defense came up big in their last game, a 15-6 win over San Antonio in which Skipper had two sacks.
“I think that our defense did exactly what we’re supposed to do,” said the 6-foot-3, 246-pound Skipper. “I’m proud of my defense that we held the team to six points. Now, the next challenge is to hold a team to zero points.”
That might seem like a big challenge, but Skipper has spent a lifetime thriving in the face of challenges, making it to the NFL and hoping to get back there.
He grew up in foster and group homes before eventually playing junior college football at Monroe College in New York, and then moving on to Toledo.
While at Toledo, he missed most of the 2017 season with an ACL injury. Granted an extra year of eligibility, he had 8.5 sacks in 2018 and was named third-team All-Mid-American Conference.
Skipper was not drafted in the spring of 2019, but was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He made it initially through the final cuts, but then was waived before the first game.
The New York Giants signed him, but he was waived a month later and re-signed by the Steelers. The following season, Skipper spent time on the Tennessee Titans roster.
Skipper spent time with the Titans, Atlanta Falcons and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021 and 2022, but did not make the active roster during the regular season. He was waived last summer by the Steelers after he suffered a pulled hamstring and an AC joint separation.
“I’m not one to easily give up on things and say, ‘forget it,’ ” Skipper said. “Just put your head down and continue to work.”
That does not mean that it’s easy having to go through the experience of getting cut.
“It’s just like any person in America when they get a job and they get fired,” Skipper said. “So definitely, it’s hard. It’s a hard journey, but I’m always looking at the bigger picture and not at that moment. I see myself having a good career and being one of those guys that can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
So the journey continues, but in a different league after the Sea Dragons drafted Skipper, who is tied for fourth in the league in sacks.
Sea Dragons coach Jim Haslett said he felt Skipper was one of several Seattle defenders who were aided by last week’s addition of defensive end Chris Smith — who played eight seasons in the NFL (2014-21).
“I think once he showed up it kind of elevated everybody’s playing, including Skip,” Haslett said. “You had guys like Skip that when it came down to making a play, they did a good job.”
The Sea Dragons held the San Antonio Brahmas (1-3) without a touchdown, but the Brahmas have been offensively challenged all season.
Houston’s offense, directed by quarterback Brandon Silvers — who played for the Seattle Dragons in the 2020 XFL — has been on a roll. They scored 44 points last week vs. Orlando and are averaging 30.5 points.
The Roughnecks also have the league’s top scoring defense, allowing 13.8 points per game and have a league-leading 17 sacks.
“I think they’re a good football team and, obviously, they’re undefeated,” Haslett said. “They move the ball well and they do a great job on offense and defense. They play good, sound football and the quarterback is playing really well. Combine that all together and they do a great job.”
A huge key to the game will likely be turnovers. Seattle has had nine turnovers to just one for their opponents. It’s something that the Sea Dragons have spent a lot of time trying to correct.
“It’s something that everybody knows about it and sometimes those things come in bunches too, but we’ve just got to hang tough, like we’ve been doing,” Haslett said. “Every game we’ve had has been a battle. So I’m sure this one will be the same.”