Lions Lose Taylor Decker For 4-6 Months

We don’t do a lot of reporting on other teams here, but when one of your chief divisional rivals loses a major piece of their team this close to the start of the regular season, it bears mentioning.

Taylor Decker, the outstanding young offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions, has suffered a torn labrum during the Lions’ OTAs. Following surgery, he is now expected to miss anywhere from four to six months worth of action, which is a huge blow to the Lions’ offense.

As far as what this means for the Minnesota Vikings, it means that Decker will definitely miss the Week 4 matchup between the two teams at U.S. Bank Stadium. Depending on how long the injury lingers, he could also miss the Thanksgiving Day matchup between the two teams in Detroit. If the injury keeps Decker out for the full six months, he wouldn’t make it back to the team until December.

Decker did a fairly solid job against Everson Griffen and the Vikings’ defensive line last season as a rookie, and while the Lions did sign Ricky Wagner this offseason, he’s likely going to be manning the right tackle spot. Whoever the Lions plug in at left tackle will be a significant downgrade from Decker, which can only mean good things for the Vikings.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope that the Vikings don’t suffer any significant injuries between now and the start of the season. Hopefully the team got their share of significant injuries out of the way last season.