For Taylor Decker, this offseason has been a lot different than last year. The Lions left tackle wasn’t being put through the pre-draft grind, and instead was able to focus on sharpening his skills.
That progress hit a brick wall when Decker hurt his shoulder during organized team activities. He had surgery on Monday, according to MLive.com, and could miss the start of the 2017 regular season.
The 16th overall draft pick last year, Decker played every snap at left tackle and allowed just 4.5 sacks. A less demanding offseason schedule allowed him to take steps this year to build on his strong rookie season.
“It’s just so nice to literally for the whole offseason focus on just getting better as a football player. You don’t have that long interview process, where you’re traveling constantly and sleeping in different hotel beds, and you’re not sleeping that well. And time zone changes. It’s hectic, and it’s hard for the dudes.”
Decker was a strong addition last year and the Lions beefed up their offensive line even more by signing guard T.J. Lang from the Packers and right tackle Ricky Wagner from the Ravens.
Matthew Stafford was sacked 37 times last season after being sacked 45 times in 2014 and 44 times in 2015. For the Lions to catch the Packers in the NFC North, they better hope that the overall gains on their offensive line make up for Decker’s absence at the start of the season.
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