The Detroit Lions dealt with injuries to a couple key offensive players in Week 10 against the Houston Texans, one going into the game (left tackle Taylor Decker) and one during (tight end Sam LaPorta). LaPorta's shoulder injury, tabbed as an AC joint issue by head coach Dan Campbell, does not appear to be a long-term concern but he may miss Week 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Decker suffered a shoulder injury of his own during practice last Thursday and he missed the game against the Texans. He has been listed on practice reports at times earlier in the season, but that was his first missed game of the season.
It was easy to wonder how the Lions would replace Decker against the Texans, and on Monday Campbell explained why Dan Skipper was installed at left tackle and Penei Sewell stayed at his customary right tackle spot.
“We felt like when the injury happened with Decker and feeling like there’s a chance he may not play, the hay was kinda already in the barn,” Campbell said. “So let’s leave Sewell at right (tackle). That’s where he took his reps (on Thursday).”
"And then Skipper filled in at left tackle and got those reps there", Campbell said. "And so, let’s not make the switch to where, 'OK, Skip, I know you got those reps there, go to the right. Sewell, vice versa.'"
Skipper had six snaps at left tackle in his career before the game against the Texans. So the struggles he had were pretty predictable (three pressures allowed, 39.5 Pro Football Focus pass blocking grade), even if he wasn't routinely awful based on the eye test.
Dan Campbell has short injury update on Taylor Decker
Along with a little bit more extensive update on LaPorta, Campbell had a brief injury update on Decker when he spoke to reporters on Monday.
"Decker’s questionable but trending the right way.”
So ahead of the first practice of the new week on Wednesday, Decker is questionable but trending the right way. Campbell having little to say on Monday is likely simply because there wasn't anything to really say, not necessarily a cause for concern about Decker's availability for Sunday against Jacksonville.