The latest on Taylor Decker, Matt Nelson, contingency plans and more with the Detroit Lions offensive line injuries
There ha been considerable shuffling along the Detroit Lions offensive line over the early part of the season. Injuries have been a blight on the unit, widely considered the core strength of the team.
Left tackle Taylor Decker has missed the last two games with an ankle injury. It’s both a high ankle sprain and a bone bruise, a painful injury that he played through for most of the Week 1 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
There is real optimism Decker will return for Thursday night’s NFC North matchup in Green Bay. Decker was a limited participant in the Monday practice session, which was a walkthrough. He feels ready to return.
“It’s going to hurt, but as long as I can be functional, I can deal with the pain,” Decker told reporters on Monday. “I’ve done it plenty of times before. I’m confident I can go out there and help us win, so it’ll be fun being back out there with everybody. Big thing is just — the days leading up to the game, just make sure it’s feeling as best as it can and just go out there. You’re going to have the adrenaline pumping, and I’m sure it’ll feel even better than it did today.”
Decker returning to the lineup would be a huge boost for the unit. That would move Penei Sewell, who struggled with penalties and pass protection on the left side, back to his customary right tackle spot.
The right tackle won’t be Matt Nelson, that much we know. Nelson left Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Falcons with a knee injury. He will need surgery and will be placed on injured reserve.
“Nelson, we’ll put Nelson down. He’s going to require surgery, so I hate that for him, so he’s down,” head coach Dan Campbell said of the swing tackle.
Nelson had started the two games at right tackle with Sewell shifting to fill Decker’s spot. The man who stepped in when Nelson got hurt in Week 3, Dan Skipper, also left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. Because Skipper is only on the practice squad and not the 53-man roster, the Lions are not required to provide any injury info or update on Skipper. And they did not.
Rookie Colby Sorsdal finished the game as the right tackle. The fifth-rounder from William & Mary played tackle in college but had been almost exclusively working at guard in Detroit. He played well enough to prove he’s a viable emergency plan at right tackle, making his NFL debut in such a circumstance.
“Sorsdal went in and honestly, for – he did a solid job,” Campbell said of the rookie. “He went in and filled in admirably and he’ll get better from those reps that he took, so yeah. That’s about the best way I can say it.”
If Decker cannot play against Green Bay, expect Sewell to stay on the left side and Sorsdal to get the start at right tackle.
No matter who is at right tackle, they’ll be aligned next to Graham Glasgow and not Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Big V missed Week 3 with a knee injury suffered in Week 2, and he is not expected to play on Thursday night.
This is where the depth gets complicated. Sorsdal would normally be the next man up at guard if something happened to Glasgow or left guard Jonaah Jackson, who incidentally was listed as a limited participant in Monday’s practice with a knee injury of his own. But if Sorsdal is the right tackle, then the relief duty falls to Kayode Awosika. The Lions signed Awosika to the 53-man roster last week from their own practice squad.
Center Frank Ragnow, who did not practice Monday as a veteran rest day, is dealing with a long-term toe injury of his own. Glasgow is his backup in the pivot. The Lions don’t have anyone with center experience on the practice squad, so a game-day promotion for Michael Niese could be in order. Niese played guard at Temple and Dayton and spent the 2022 season on the Chicago Bear practice squad.
The Lions also have an opening on the active roster with Nelson heading to I.R., one which could be used on a reserve with some center experience.
