Taylor Decker played all 67 snaps in the Detroit Lions’ Week 1 loss to Green Bay.
But a problem with his shoulder caused the veteran left tackle to miss practice Wednesday, which raised doubts about his availability for the team’s home opener against Chicago this Sunday.
In a matter of seconds, offensive coordinator John Morton squashed them.
“We’re totally expecting Decker to play,” Morton said Thursday, Sept. 11.
That’s good news for the Lions, who are rather thin at Decker’s position. Giovanni Manu, a second-year lineman who made his NFL regular-season debut Sunday and played exclusively on special teams, is the only backup on the active roster behind Decker and his counterpart on the right side, Penei Sewell. Fellow reserve Jamarco Jones was placed on injured reserve last Saturday after hurting his ankle in practice last week. The Lions also have a pair of tackles, Dan Skipper and the newly-signed Devin Cochran, on the practice squad.
Decker wasn’t specific about his condition when he met with reporters Wednesday.
“Just got some stuff I am dealing with and hopefully will be out there Sunday,” he said.
The 32-year-old Decker, who wasn’t seen participating in drills during the media viewing period Thursday, was sidelined the first two weeks of training camp as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions expect LT Taylor Decker to play vs. Chicago Bears
Reporting by Rainer Sabin, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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