Detroit Lions tackle Taylor Decker is a Pro Bowler, a leader on the team, and a huge veteran piece to an offensive line that's starting to get very young and very inexperienced. His presence is key to Detroit's success in the trenches with a new offensive coordinator in tow, and with a brand new center getting the ball to Jared Goff.
So, news of any setback experienced by the 32 year old is concerning. Decker told reporters after the Lions' Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers that he'd been dealing with something, but feels okay enough to go for Week 2 against the Chicago Bears.
Decker also sounds to be ready to go for the Bears game per OC John Morton. Good news, right?
Well, if Decker's shoulder injury isn't too serious, then it shouldn't impact his level of play. Unfortunately, he along with Penei Sewell were surprisingly duds in Week 1 against the Packers' run defense and pass rush, and you cannot help but wonder if this lingering shoulder injury will remain an issue against Chicago's D-line.
Decker, Terrion Arnold, Aidan Hutchinson all facing key matchups in Week 2
Decker is likely to square off with Dayo Odeyingbo and Gervon Dexter Sr. on Sunday, with Odeyingbo being the greatest threat to Goff in the pocket.
He finished up the Bears' Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings with a sack and a tackle, and averaged 4.2 yards of separation between himself and J.J. McCarthy during the contest, a hair better than the league average of 4.57 yards in that regard.
If he can manage to contain him, then the only threat left is Montez Sweat, and that's a problem for Sewell to handle This could be a huge issue for Decker, though, if his shoulder injury flares up quickly in the contest.
And, as documented by team reporter Tim Twentyman, Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen loves to blitz on third down, throwing another wrench into the Lions' issues as they pertain to Decker's injury. Limiting missed assignments, as Twentyman writes, can limit the damage caused by those blitzes, but can Decker handle that much pressure that repeatedly?
Terrion Arnold, another Lion dealing with injury woes ahead of Week 2 (hamstring), will be tasked with likely defending DJ Moore or Rome Odunze as he also recovers from an injury bad enough that he had to sideline himself in Week 1. If he's not 100%, this is a matchup that Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams could look to exploit.
One matchup that won't be hindered by injury to start the contest is Aidan Hutchinson up against a new-look Bears offensive line. They struggled to keep the pocket clean in Week 1, and Minnesota's defensive line is just as strong as Detroit's. Look for Hutchinson to finally get back on the sack board at home when up against Braxton Jones, Joe Thuney, or former Lion Jonah Jackson.
