Taylor Decker’s About to Shake Up Lions Camp—Shoulder Be Damned
Man, the vibe at Lions camp right now? It’s got a little extra juice, and you can thank Taylor Decker’s bionic shoulder for that. The big guy—yeah, 6’7” of him—spent the offseason getting his wing patched up, and now he’s almost ready to dive back into the chaos. Honestly, the O-line could use the boost, and you can just feel everyone crossing their fingers that Decker’s return lines up with the season’s real grind.
The Comeback Shuffle
Look, it’s not like Decker’s been lounging around. Dude’s been stuck in the “almost there” zone—doing drills, staying on the sidelines while the rest of the squad gets after it. Not for long, though. He’s got that look, you know? Like he can’t wait to mix it up.
“I’m not suiting up for Atlanta, but things are looking up,” Decker told reporters, grinning like a kid who just got the green light to play outside again. Seems like he’s more relieved than anything. “Happy I went under the knife. Long term, it’ll pay off.” Can’t argue with that.
So, what exactly did they do to his shoulder? Some gnarly-sounding procedure—subacromial decompression, which is basically the surgeon going in and smoothing out bone spurs. Apparently, he played through a busted rotator cuff last season (absolute psycho move, in a good way). Eight weeks of rehab, enough cardio to make a marathon runner whine, and he says his shoulder finally feels “way better.” About time.
Offseason: Cardio Purgatory
Instead of smashing into D-linemen, Decker’s been running. And running. And running. He straight-up admitted he’s sick of it. “No more running, please,” he joked. But you can see the grind’s paying off—the guy’s locked in, clearly itching to prove he’s still got it for his 10th NFL season. Ten years. That’s like, ancient in football years.
Old Dog, New Tricks
Even while he’s been stuck on the rehab train, Decker’s stepped up as the wise old head. He’s been schooling Giovanni Manu, the second-year tackle, who’s basically been thrown into the deep end against monsters like Aidan Hutchinson. “Don’t get too down, kid,” Decker tells him. “It’s cool if you wanna get better, but keep your head in a good place.” Classic mentor move.
So, yeah, Lions fans are buzzing. The team’s got some real expectations this year, and getting Decker back at full go might just be the cherry on top for one of the nastiest O-lines in the league. Don’t be shocked if you see Jared Goff’s blindside looking extra safe, sooner rather than later.
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FAQs
When’s Decker actually back?
He’s shooting for full team drills next week. Don’t expect him in the Falcons preseason game, though.
What was wrong with his shoulder, anyway?
He had surgery to shave off bone spurs and calm down some arthritis in his AC joint. Sounds fun, right?
How long’s he been a Lion?
Drafted back in 2016—dude’s heading into year 10. That’s a lot of pancakes.
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