Lions give injury update on Taylor Decker, who missed win over Texans with shoulder injury
Published in Football
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — With left tackle Taylor Decker sidelined, the Detroit Lions were without their starting five along the offensive line in Sunday's 26-23 comeback win over the Houston Texans.
Will Decker (shoulder) be ready to go for a Week 11 matchup with the Jaguars? Head coach Dan Campbell doesn't have a straight answer yet, but he's hopeful.
"Decker’s questionable (for Jacksonville), but trending the right way," Campbell said Monday.
Decker, who had previously started every game this season, didn't begin last week on the injury report. He popped up as a limited participant Thursday, however, and didn't practice Friday before the Lions officially ruled him out.
Campbell also gave another update on tight end Sam LaPorta (shoulder), though it mostly mirrored what he said Sunday night: "Look, it’ll be day-to-day, but not — we don’t feel like this is something like, 'Oh, man, this going to be a long, nagging injury.' I think we’ll get through it," Campbell said Monday. "I’m hopeful this week."
The Lions listed LaPorta as questionable to return when the injury first occurred and he remained on the sideline, but he never made it back into the game following a failed 2-point conversion attempt with 11:34 to play in the third quarter.
Campbell explains thought process with Sewell, Skipper
With Decker out, many assumed right tackle Penei Sewell would move over to the left side of the line to protect Goff's blindside. After all, that's what Detroit did when Decker missed time in 2022 and 2023.
But the Lions opted to keep Sewell at right tackle this time. They slotted veteran Dan Skipper at left tackle instead.
"When the injury happened with Decker and (we had the) feeling like there’s a chance he may not play, the hay was kind of already in the barn," Campbell explained. "And so (we said), 'Let’s leave Sewell at right, that’s where he took his reps.' I mean, most of it was (that) we got into Thursday and we’re running, we’re in pads, live reps, we’re moving, and that’s where he got his reps.
"And then Skipper filled in at left tackle and got those reps there. And so, let’s not make the switch to where, 'OK, Skip, I know you got those reps there, go to the right. Sewell, vice versa.' We just felt like it was better to do (what we did). And then it just happened to work out that there were a number of plays that went Sewell’s way, and the rest is up to him."
The Lions finished with 105 rushing yards, including 40 in the fourth quarter from Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs also logged a 33-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter in which he followed Sewell.
Lions waive linebacker
Detroit waived linebacker Abraham Beauplan on Monday, two days after signing him to the active roster from the practice squad. Beauplan played 11 snaps against the Texans, all coming on special teams. He also saw nine special teams reps against the Packers in Week 9.
Beauplan originally signed with the Lions in August, and he remained with the team up until final cuts to get the roster down to 53. He returned to the practice squad and has recently bounced back and forth between there and the active roster.
If Beauplan clears waivers, he could return to Detroit's practice squad.
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