Taylor Decker‘s absence will last more than one week. The Lions are placing their left tackle on the injured reserve, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
We learned yesterday that the offensive lineman had suffered a hand injury, but the team only initially ruled him out for Week 1. According to Rapoport, Decker has since undergone finger surgery, with the reporter estimating that the lineman will be back in about a month. At the very least, today’s move guarantees that Decker will miss the team’s first three games.
The 2016 first-round pick has been especially durable in recent years, only missing a single game over the past three seasons. The 28-year-old started all 16 games in 2020, appearing on all 1,046 of the team’s offensive snaps.
With Decker sidelined, the team will shuffle their offensive line a bit, with No. 7 overall pick Penei Sewell movingto left tackle. The rookie was to transition to a right tackle role with the Lions, despite having lined up on the left side at Oregon, but the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett notes Sewell has primarily worked as the team’s first-string left tackle in practice since Decker’s injury (Twitter link). The team is not planning a long-term switch, with Decker expected to retake his usual job once he returns to full strength.