Lions Notes: Branch, Campbell, Gibbs, LaPorta, Decker, Glasgow, Anzalone
Although the Lions went 9-8 and missed the playoffs, they have a champagne problem approaching on their roster. The 2023 draft produced four impact starters, delivering Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch. All are now extension-eligible, with Gibbs and Campbell having fifth-year options that could move their contracts through 2027. Brad Holmes views all four as priorities.
“When me and Dan (Campbell} first started we said we’re going to take the path of draft, develop and sign our own, and I do think that, that has worked so far in terms of getting us to this point,” the sixth-year GM said (via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett), specifying Branch and LaPorta’s injuries do not affect their long-term statuses. “So yeah, those guys are priorities because they’re really good players. They represent everything that we’re about. So yeah, I would say that those are all priorities.”
Our Adam La Rose tackled this issue in a recent mailbag, and while it might be unrealistic for the Lions to retain all four, Holmes voicing support for it is interesting given the commitments the team has already made to core performers. The Lions have extended Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Jared Goff, Taylor Decker, Alim McNeill, Jameson Williams and Aidan Hutchinson since April 2024. Gibbs has come up as a 2026 extension candidate, while Branch is unlikely to be paid in the offseason due to his December Achilles tear. Jack Campbell’s case is trickier due to no off-ball LB’s option being exercised since the Buccaneers’ Devin White move in 2022, but Campbell being a first-team All-Pro may change the equation. Otherwise, he would join Branch and LaPorta as contract-year players in 2026.
Here is the latest out of Detroit:
- Taylor Decker is planning to take multiple months to consider playing an 11th season. We heard in December Decker was considering retirement. The 10-year Lions left tackle played through a shoulder injury all season. “I need to make informed decisions,” Decker said, via Birkett. “I need to get second opinions. There’s a lot that I have to do, because I want to make this decision moving forward informed. And I don’t want to make it emotionally because if I make it emotionally, I already know what the answer is going to be.” Decker, who missed three games this season, is signed through 2027 via the three-year, $60MM deal he inked in 2024. The 32-year-old blocker has started 140 games, being part of a few top-tier Lions O-lines.
- Graham Glasgow and Dan Skipper are also considering walking away, according to Birkett. A back injury has prompted Skipper, 31, to consider retiring after nine NFL seasons. Sixty-six of the backup tackle’s 69 career games have come with Detroit. Glasgow could retire, per Birkett, if the Lions ditch his contract. Glasgow, who returned to Detroit in 2023 and succeeded Frank Ragnow at center this season, is due a nonguaranteed $6.5MM in the final year of his three-year, $20MM contract.
- Ragnow returned to the news cycle briefly in preparing to unretire, but a failed physical nixed that. The Lions did not go into last year’s draft knowing their All-Pro center would walk away, Holmes said (via ESPN.com’s Eric Woodyard). While Holmes acknowledged the team knew a Ragnow retirement was in play, he did not let the team know until May. Ragnow, 29, is expected to remain retired.
- LaPorta’s third season ended after Week 10 due to back surgery, but the extension candidate said (via Woodyard) he is aiming to be ready for OTAs. While Dan Campbell yanked the play sheet from OC John Morton before eventually firing him, LaPorta was on pace for his best season during the one-and-done OC’s time calling the shots. LaPorta averaged a career-best 54.3 yards per game in 2025.
- The Lions want to re-sign Alex Anzalone, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, but the veteran linebacker returning is being pegged as a 50-50 proposition. With a Campbell extension perhaps in the offing and the Lions having given Derrick Barnes a three-year, $24MM deal (which calls for $8MM guaranteed in 2026), money might be too tight to give Anzalone another deal. The ex-Saints draftee has been with the Lions throughout Campbell and Holmes’ five-year stays. An extension for Anzalone, 32, did not come up for the Lions last year.
Lions LT Taylor Decker To Contemplate Retirement In Offseason
As a result of the lucrative extension he signed in July 2024, Lions left tackle Taylor Decker is under contract through 2027, but he may not even get to the penultimate year of that deal. Per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Decker will consider retirement in the upcoming offseason.
In the spring, Decker underwent surgery to relieve pain in his shoulder caused by bone spurs in his rotator cuff. He began training camp on the PUP list as a result, and though he suited up for the start of the regular season, he did miss two games earlier this year due to a shoulder ailment.
Decker, 32, is now in his 10th professional season, though it has not been a smooth ride. This spring’s shoulder procedure was the fifth major surgery of his career, and he has also dealt with finger, ankle, toe, MCL, and pectoral injuries. He has also undergone nerve ablations on his vertebrae to dull pain in his neck, and he played in fewer than 10 games in both 2017 and 2021.
The 2024 Pro Bowler has maintained his usual strong standard of play this year, though he tells Birkett that he struggled to lift his arm above 90 degrees earlier this season. While his mobility in that regard has improved, the pain has not subsided, and he has received eight steroid injections to help manage that pain.
He does not expect to go under the knife again in 2026, but if he is forced to do so, that could nudge him closer to retirement. Even without a forthcoming operation, the injuries he has already experienced and his desire to be with his young family could put an end to his playing days.
“I think I can maintain this level of play for five more years if I wanted to,” Decker said. “But it’s all the other variables. Like, what are you willing to put your body through? What are you willing to put your family through? What time are you willing to spend? Stuff like that.”
Birkett’s entire piece is worth a read for Lions fans in particular, as Decker candidly discusses all of the factors that will influence his decision. From an on-field perspective, Detroit would obviously be loathe to lose the Ohio State product, who has anchored its blindside since 2016.
The Lions lost accomplished center (and Decker’s good friend) Frank Ragnow to an early retirement in June, largely due to health and family reasons. Though Ragnow recently tried to unretire and return to Detroit to assist in the club’s playoff push, he could not pass a physical and will therefore be unable to play in 2025.
Decker, who has already accomplished his goal of playing 10 years in the NFL and who has amassed over $100MM in career earnings, said he expects his retirement decision to be final whenever he makes it.
“When this is done, I’m done,” he said. “When I’m done playing football, then it’s like, you can never have it back. You’re gone. It’s over. And I’ve played football since second grade. At this point, almost a third of my life has been on the Lions, so that’s a big decision. So that’s not one that’s going to be like, it’s not going to be spur of the moment or drop of the hat. And I do not want it to be an emotional decision. I want to think about it logically.”
Obviously, Decker’s retirement would move offensive tackle close to the top of the Lions’ offseason needs.
NFC North Notes: Bears, Decker, Vikings
After three years as the Bears‘ left tackle starter, Braxton Jones won a competition to keep the gig during training camp. But the contract-year blocker has since been benched, ceding his blindside spot to Theo Benedet. This leaves the former fifth-round pick in limbo. Teams are now monitoring Jones as a potential trade chip, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Rival clubs are viewing Jones as a “sensible” trade candidate, per Fowler, as the Division I-FCS find has 44 career starts on his resume.
Being benched early in a contract year, Jones does not figure to feature in Chicago’s post-2025 plans. A path to the 2026 free agent market appears clear. Teams are generally reluctant to part with proven O-linemen in trades, but with Chicago having Benedet in place and having used a second-round pick on tackle Ozzy Trapilo, Jones could be deemed expendable. This chain of events has led teams to at least monitor this situation, as Jones’ experience would be intriguing to a team with a tackle need. Pro Football Focus ranks Jones 57th among tackle regulars this season; the advanced metrics site, however, bestowed top-25 marks on the Southern Utah alum in 2022 and ’24.
Here is the latest from the NFC North:
- In and out of the Lions‘ lineup this season, Taylor Decker is battling a shoulder injury. After missing Weeks 5 and 6, Decker reemerged to start against the Buccaneers on Monday night. Decker allowed a sack-strip in protection in the Lions’ Week 7 win but graded out well in PFF’s view. Dan Campbell cast some doubt (via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett) about Decker returning to 100% this season, considering the unspecified shoulder injury he is battling. Following Frank Ragnow in playing through an injury (as the since-retired center did in 2024), Decker is tied to a three-year, $60MM contract that runs through 2027. The 32-year-old blocker has been the Lions’ starting left tackle since 2016.
- Staying with the O-line theme here, the Vikings are considering moving Blake Brandel to the center position on a full-time basis. Brandel has started at both center and left guard this season, having filled in for Ryan Kelly at center, but has primarily been a guard in the pros. Vikings OC Wes Phillips said (via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert) center might be his best position. Kelly suffering two concussions early this season makes his IR-return timetable murky, amplifying the importance of the Vikes having Brandel as a swingman. Brandel made 17 starts at guard last season, being demoted due to the Kelly, Will Fries and Donovan Jackson additions this offseason. But he is back in a first-string role as the Vikings face the Chargers tonight.
- Leading up to the 2024 draft, the Giants and Vikings aggressively pursued Drake Maye. Both made strong trade offers for the Patriots’ No. 3 overall pick. Minnesota offered its Nos. 11 and 23 picks, along with its 2025 first-rounder. That rivaled the Giants’ proposal (Nos. 6 and 47, along with a 2025 first). In addition to the Vikes’ first-round choices included in the offer, they and the Pats would have swapped Day 3 picks in the deal, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Though, the third-day component in this offer brought Minnesota-favored terms, Breer adds. The Pats held onto the pick and chose Maye, which certainly looks like a wise decision. The Vikings moved up one spot to No. 10 for J.J. McCarthy, passing on Bo Nix. The jury is still out on McCarthy’s NFL trajectory.
NFC Injury Updates: Commanders, Lions, Mooney
The Commanders will head into a Monday night showdown against the Bears with a shorthanded receiving corps. Terry McLaurin (quad) and Noah Brown (groin) will miss the game, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic.
This will be the third straight absence for McLaurin, which isn’t what the Commanders had in mind when they signed the two-time Pro Bowler to a three-year, $87MM extension in late August. The agreement came after a well-publicized standoff between the two sides. The 30-year-old has caught 10 of 17 targets for 149 yards and no touchdowns in three games this season.
Washington has gone even longer without Brown, who hasn’t played since a Week 2 loss to the Packers. After a 35-catch 2024, his first season with the Commanders, Brown has hauled in three of seven targets for 36 yards in two games this year.
First-year Commander and former 49er Deebo Samuel has served as the team’s top target in McLaurin’s absence. Luke McCaffrey, who’s behind Brown on the depth chart, pulled in a 50-yard reception in a win over the Chargers last week. While McCaffrey only has seven catches this year, he has averaged 20.9 yards per grab and scored a pair of TDs.
More NFC injury updates heading into Week 6:
- The Lions will face the Chiefs on Sunday without starting left tackle Taylor Decker. The 10th-year man will miss his second game in a row as a result of a shoulder injury. Worsening matters for the Lions, they’ve also ruled out backup tackle Giovanni Manu. After making his first career start in place of Decker last week, Manu is down with a knee injury. With Decker and Manu unavailable, Dan Skipper is expected to start at left tackle in Kansas City.
- The Falcons will go without receiver Darnell Mooney on Monday against the Bills, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports. Mooney, who’s dealing with a hamstring injury, will miss his second game of the season. He missed a Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers after suffering a shoulder injury in late July. With 64 catches, 992 yards, and five touchdowns in his first season with the Falcons in 2024, the former Bear enjoyed one of the best years of his career. His production has dropped over three games this year, though, with Mooney having caught seven of 16 targets for 79 yards. No. 1 receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts, and running back Bijan Robinson are the only Falcons with double-digit receptions this season.
Lions To Start Graham Glasgow At C, Tate Ratledge At RG
In the wake of Frank Ragnow’s retirement, it appeared second-round rookie Tate Ratledge would take over as the Lions’ starting center, despite working as a guard in college. Graham Glasgow’s past experience as an NFL pivot notwithstanding, the veteran blocker initially told reporters, including Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, he did not expect to be working at the center position.
Per Birkett, the first iteration of the Ratledge-at-center experiment lasted all of three training camp practices. Glasgow, who operated as the Lions’ primary left guard last year, had opened camp as the starting right guard, but he and Ratledge have swapped roles. Glasgow is now the snapper, while Ratledge is the first-team RG (2024 draftee Christian Mahogany is penciled in as the starting left guard).
According to team reporter Dannie Rogers, the switch had more to do with Glasgow’s rapport with quarterback Jared Goff than underperformance on Ratledge’s part.
Offensive coordinator John Morton said of Ratledge, “I love how smart he is. And he’s just going to continue to grow. I mean, I thought he did an exceptional job when he was at center. I mean, that’s a lot mentally. Different snap counts and audibles. It was a lot and I thought he did a pretty good job. I’m really happy where he’s at.”
Head coach Dan Campbell said Ratledge will still take reps at center throughout the rest of the summer, but it makes sense that a team with championship aspirations would opt for a more experienced player at the position. In the meantime, Ratledge will get his first professional experience at the right guard post, where he thrived as a collegian.
The starting RG for Georgia’s championship outfit in 2022, Ratledge went on to earn All-SEC and All-American nods in each of his final two seasons with the Bulldogs. He will slot in between Glasgow and Penei Sewell on a Detroit front that may again be among the league’s best but that could struggle to adequately replace Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler, who signed with the Titans this offseason.
Glasgow, 33, is under contract through the 2026 season, but a release after the upcoming campaign would net the Lions roughly $2.7MM in cap savings. If Ratledge impresses at right guard and with whatever center reps he earns, the team theoretically could shift him to center next year and part ways with Glasgow (who was probably the weakest link on Detroit’s 2024 O-line).
In related news, the team has activated left tackle Taylor Decker off the active/PUP list, per Birkett.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/17/25
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on active/PUP: S Ar’Darius Washington
Detroit Lions
- Placed on active/PUP: OT Taylor Decker, CB Khalil Dorsey, OG Miles Frazier, DL Alim McNeill, LB Malcolm Rodriguez, DL Mekhi Wingo
- Placed on active/NFI: DL Josh Paschal, CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
- Waived-injured: RB Anthony Tyus
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: OT Ryan Nelson
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on active/PUP: LB Uchenna Nwosu
NFC North Notes: O’Connell, Vikings, Adofo-Mensah, Packers, Clark, Jones, Bears, Lions
Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah‘s first year produced a surprising 13-4 record and an NFC North crown. The Vikings took a step back in the power brokers’ second season, with Kirk Cousins‘ Achilles tear and Justin Jefferson‘s hamstring trouble playing central roles in the team’s 2023 struggles. Though, the Vikings held their own in a rare season that featured four starting QBs. Still, no extensions are being planned for the HC-GM combo just yet.
“I think that’s fair. I think right now we’re just focusing on the season and putting those things aside for now,” Vikings owner/president Mark Wilf said (via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert) of the prospect of tabling extension talks with O’Connell and/or Adofo-Mensah to 2025. “It’s not something we’re talking about at this point.”
Considering the pair has only been in place since 2022, the Vikings exploring early extensions would have surprised. No coach or GM hired in 2022 has been extended, and only one tandem hired in 2021 (Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes) has been re-upped. O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah signed four-year contracts, which will make 2024’s direction — as the Vikings transition to Sam Darnold and eventually J.J. McCarthy — pivotal for the leaders’ futures. The Lions gave their bigwigs extensions despite authorizing six-year contracts in 2021, though they have accomplished more thus far.
Here is the latest from the NFC North:
- Velus Jones did not become a regular option at wide receiver for the Bears since the team chose him in the 2022 third round, and the additions of Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze this offseason obviously did not help Jones’ prospects. As a result, the Bears are trying the third-year performer at running back. Matt Eberflus (via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley) confirmed the move. Primarily used as a kick returner over his first two seasons, Jones has just 17 receptions as a pro. The Bears’ RB situation is not quite as strong as their WR setup, but the team did add D’Andre Swift to a position group already housing Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert.
- Kenny Clark‘s three-year, $64MM Packers extension includes $17.5MM guaranteed at signing — all in the form of a signing bonus — and, per OverTheCap, the veteran defensive lineman will receive a $7.5MM roster bonus if on Green Bay’s roster by Day 3 of the 2025 league year. This ups the practical guarantee to $25MM. On Day 3 of the 2026 league year, Clark will be due an $11MM roster bonus. Considering it would cost the Packers $17MM in dead money to cut Clark in 2026, the ninth-year defender has a decent chance to collect the second roster bonus as well. The extension lowered Clark’s 2024 cap hit by just $1.1MM, per ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky.
- Going into the final season of his rookie contract, Royce Newman accepted what amounts to a pay cut. The Packers dropped the former fourth-round pick’s base salary from $3.12MM to $1.25MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Newman had seen his base salary increase due to the NFL’s proven performance escalator program. Newman has started 24 games along Green Bay’s O-line. The team included up to $1MM in per-game roster bonuses for the contract-year blocker.
- Taylor Decker‘s three-year, $60MM Lions extension includes $31.83MM guaranteed at signing, with the longtime Detroit LT’s 2024 and ’25 base salaries ($1.2MM, $14.8MM) locked in, per OverTheCap. The contract’s remaining guarantees come via a signing bonus. Decker will be due $1.5MM roster bonuses on Day 3 of the 2026 and ’27 league years. His 2026 and ’27 base salaries are nonguaranteed, though two void years included to spread out the former first-rounder’s cap hits. Still, 2026 looms as a potential out here, as the Lions would only take on $9.4MM in dead money in 2026 — as opposed to $31.4MM in 2025 — by moving on.
- The Vikings will pay Khyree Jackson‘s $827K signing bonus to the deceased cornerback’s estate, Seifert tweets. Jackson died tragically in a car accident in early July. The NFLPA is also expected to support Jackson’s estate.
Lions Extend LT Taylor Decker
Lions general manager Brad Holmes announced during a Monday appearance on 97.1FM radio that left tackle Taylor Decker has signed an extension. His agent confirmed the news, noting this is a three-year, $60MM agreement. 
Decker will receive $31.83MM guaranteed on his latest Lions pact. He was entering the final year of his deal, one which was set to pay him $13.7MM. The 29-year-old has now landed a raise, though, along with added long-term security. Decker will be on the books through 2027.
The former first-rounder has spent his entire eight-year career in Detroit, and he has started each of his 116 combined regular and postseason contests. Decker has remained a consistent performer with respect to pass protection in particular, and his PFF evaluations have been steady over the years. He received the ninth-highest overall grade amongst tackles in 2023 (81.1), his best showing in that regard to date.
Extension talks between Decker and the Lions began this spring, ahead of an offseason in which several big-money deals were worked out. The likes of quarterback Jared Goff, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and right tackle Penei Sewell each inked contracts at or near the top of their respective markets in recent months. Decker’s $20MM AAV will move him into seventh amongst blindside blockers, a notable move up the pecking order from where he previously was.
Decker recently expressed a positive outlook on where contract talks stood, so today’s news comes as little surprise. With his deal now official, both members of Detroit’s tackle tandem are in place for the foreseeable future. Any question of whether or not Sewell would transition to the left side (at least any time soon) will be put to rest. The Lions selected Canadian college product Giovanni Manu in the fourth round of the draft, but he projects as a long-term developmental option. With Decker on the books, Manu will not need to be rushed into action.
The Lions’ success in a number of categories last year stemmed in large part from the play of their offensive line. That unit will return Decker, Sewell, left guard Graham Glasgow and center Frank Ragnow. Former right guard starter Jonah Jackson departed in free agency, but Detroit added a capable replacement in the form of Kevin Zeitler. Expectations will therefore once again be high up front for the team in 2024 and beyond with Decker remaining on the blindside.
Latest On Extension Talks Between Lions, Taylor Decker
While the Lions spent much of the offseason handing out lucrative, long-term pacts to their top players, one key member of the squad is still heading into the final year of his contract. Offensive tackle Taylor Decker is an impending free agent, and while it’s been relatively quiet on the extension front, there’s optimism the former first-round pick will continue to stick around Detroit.
[RELATED: Lions, LT Taylor Decker Discussing Extension]
According to Justin Rogers of The Detroit News, Decker’s camp “seemed encouraged” by early extension talks. We heard back in April that the two sides had opened negotiations, but there haven’t been any developments over the past few months.
Rogers notes that GM Brad Holmes has “every intention” of keeping his core together, and that sentiment would surely include Decker. The 16th-overall pick in the 2016 draft has played under a number of regimes during his time in Detroit, starting all 112 of his appearances in eight seasons.
Pro Football Focus has always graded Decker as an above-average OT, but the veteran had his best showing in 2023. The 30-year-old graded ninth among 81 qualifying offensive tackles, and he continued a five-year stretch of ranking in the top-30 at his position.
Decker is heading into the final year of his second career contract. Following the completion of his rookie pact, Decker inked a five-year, $70MM extension with the Lions. The lineman has fallen out of the top-10 average annual values at his position (he now ranks 12th), and he’ll probably stick around his $15MM AAV on his next deal. Rogers suggests the two sides will eventually land on a two-year extension for the long-time offensive tackle. With Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Penei Sewell having inked lucrative extensions this offseason, Detroit’s front office will have to get a bit creative as they manage their future cap sheets.
Lions, LT Taylor Decker Discussing Extension
About to last through three uniform periods as the Lions’ left tackle, Taylor Decker has one season remaining on a contract he signed back in September 2020. The Lions have Penei Sewell on track for a big-ticket extension and have paid center Frank Ragnow, but a third Decker contract is also on Detroit’s radar.
Decker confirmed (via The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy) he and the Lions have begun discussions on another extension. While Decker described these as early-stage talks, the 30-year-old blocker being in play for a new deal is interesting given the other extension priorities on a Lions roster that has improved significantly over the course of the left tackle’s career.
Sewell is now extension-eligible, and while the Lions could keep their All-Pro right tackle on a rookie contract through 2025 via the fifth-year option they will soon exercise, a deal this year may not be out of the question. Jared Goff is also in a contract year, and the veteran quarterback confirmed the long-rumored extension talks have begun. Amon-Ra St. Brown is also in a platform year, and he will command a near-top-level receiver extension. This makes Decker’s spot interesting.
When Decker agreed to his four-year, $59.65MM deal, the tackle market had just seen Laremy Tunsil‘s first $20MM-plus-AAV accord surface. But Decker’s Detroit re-up checked in fifth at the position; it has now fallen to 12th. Decker has never made a Pro Bowl, but the 2016 first-round pick has been one of the NFL’s better left tackles throughout his career. ESPN’s pass block win rate metric placed Decker seventh among tackles last season, and Pro Football Focus slotted him ninth at the position.
Decker has been vital to the Lions forming one of the NFL’s best O-lines, and a nice opportunity could await in free agency come 2025. Only $500K in guaranteed money remains on his current deal.
Recent decisions have shown teams’ openness toward having two highly paid tackles on the payroll. The Broncos, Texans and Eagles all have two tackles earning top-10 money at their respective positions. The Lions could also gain cap room by doing a Decker deal now, as his restructured contract comes in at $19.1MM on their 2024 payroll. Still, it will be interesting to see how far this goes. No right tackle is tied to a deal north of $20MM per year presently; Sewell seems a mortal lock to score a record-setting accord when that time comes.
If Decker were to play out his contract, his 2025 value would be capped to a degree due to age. The Ohio State alum turns 31 later this year. He of 112 career starts, Decker would — as of now — join Garett Bolles, Ronnie Stanley, Cam Robinson, Jedrick Wills and Dan Moore on the 2025 LT market. Left tackles in their primes do not reach free agency often, and fifth-year options will all but certainly remove Christian Darrisaw and Rashawn Slater from any free agency equations. But Decker resides as a key piece here when considering the Lions’ contract situation.
Decker also said (via ESPN.com’s Eric Woodyard) he underwent foot and ankle surgeries earlier this offseason. He missed two games last year and has rebounded from the finger injury that ended his 2021 season after nine games. The Lions are returning four of their five O-line starters, seeing Jonah Jackson‘s price escalate beyond their comfort zone. Kevin Zeitler is set to replace Jackson at left guard.