Should the Detroit Lions pick up Taylor Decker’s fifth-year option?

The Detroit Lions‘ quest to build a high-level offensive line continues. This includes a decision on starting left tackle Taylor Decker’s fifth-year option.

Left Tackle. It’s a position so coveted in today’s NFL, that if you want to be successful, dedicating significant resources to it is almost compulsory. The Detroit Lions are no exception, as they have undergone an intensive overhaul of their entire offensive line over the last several seasons.

Consider that the average base salary for the 32 players who started at left tackle in Week One last season was over $4.3 million, according to Sportrac.com. That’s some serious coin to dole out for a player who essentially never touches the ball, but that’s the going rate these days.

Add in the fact that of those 32 players, 22 of them were selected in either the first or second round of their respective drafts. Surely you’ve heard of some of the ones that weren’t –  Jason Peters of the Philadelphia Eagles, David Bakhtiari of the Green Bay Packers, Alejandro Villanueva of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Terron Armstead of the New Orleans Saints and recent Super Bowl winner Trent Brown of the New England Patriots – they’re pretty good!

One player who does meet the criteria is Lions starting left tackle Taylor Decker. The former Ohio State Buckeye was general manager Bob Quinn’s first ever draft pick back in 2016. It was the beginning of Quinn’s mission to completely reshape the Lions offensive line. He has selected five offensive lineman in his three drafts running the show and signed two high priced free agents in right guard T.J. Lang and right tackle Rick Wagner.

After an impressive rookie season in which he started every regular season game and helped the Lions reach the playoffs with a 9-7 record, Decker’s sophomore season was derailed by an offseason shoulder injury. It cost him half the season. He returned in a Week Ten victory over the Cleveland Browns, but the rust that he had accumulated was obvious and he struggled to regain his 2016 form.

It’s fair to wonder how much Decker’s 2017 injury has affected his progress as a player. He again managed to play in and start every game in 2018, but the results were middling at best. According to Pro Football Focus‘ player grading system (PFF), Decker was the 36th ranked tackle in the NFL last season, tied with the Miami Dolphins’ Laremy Tunsil with an overall grade of 70.4. Not great, but passable.

All NFL first round picks are signed to four year deals, with a fifth year team option. The Lions have until May 3rd of this year to inform Decker that they are exercising his option. Chances are pretty good that they will pick it up and retain him for a fifth year in Detroit.

Don’t forget however, that they do have a promising young player on the roster – tackle Tyrell Crosby – who looked solid in his increased playing time late in the 2018 season. Will Crosby’s potential give the Lions pause on Decker’s option? They have less than three months to decide.

Should the Lions pick up the fifth-year option on their starting left tackle? Tell us what you think in the comments!

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