Dreams do come true. That's for sure what Dan Skipper thought after he was given the nod on his very first start in the NFL after years of bouncing around and never establishing himself as a consistent part of a roster. Skipper has been a practice squad player for years, splitting time in the Lions and Houston Texans organizations, and he was cut from the Lions as recently as two weeks ago. But with the Lions' injury woes piling up, head coach Dan Campbell called on his namesake, and Skipper delivered.

After the Lions' 36-27 victory against the Washington Commanders, coach Campbell made sure that the locker room appreciated Skipper's efforts, who, after such a long grind in his career, has finally started to reap the rewards.

“Hey Skip, nice freaking job, man!” Campbell exclaimed, as the Lions' locker room burst into thunderous applause for Skipper's unheralded performance.

“Skip! Skip! Skip!” the Lions players cheered Dan Skipper's name in unison as he looked on, clearly awash by emotions in such a heartwarming moment.

What made Dan Skipper's performance worthy of such acclaim, aside from the tough career journey he's had, is that he was asked to play guard, a position he hadn't played in more than five years since his collegiate days in Arkansas. Skipper remained ready, waiting for his opportunity to break through in the league, and he certainly made sure he grabbed ahold of such a rare chance in his career. Campbell even sent Skipper to the media before any other Lions player, where the 27-year old reflected on his career trajectory.

“It’s my sixth year in the league, and I’ve never made a team. It’s tough. You go in, and you’re never quite good enough. You’re not quite enough,” Skipper recalled after the game. “You show up every day and you think you’re doing the right things and just for whatever reason, it just doesn’t quite work out. I think I’ve had 20 NFL contracts. They’re not worth the paper they’re written on.”

Hopefully for Dan Skipper, this marks the beginning of a more consistent role for him in the NFL, as he's certainly paid his dues to get to this point. Once the Lions' injury woes subside, coach Dan Campbell might have a tough, if enviable, coaching decision to make, beginning with the Lions' Week 3 match against the Minnesota Vikings.