Skip to main content
Advertising

training-camp-news

Presented by

Camp Notes: Decker returns to practice

Veteran left tackle Taylor Decker began camp on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing shoulder surgery in the spring.

"I'm glad I did it," Decker said earlier in camp. "It was something I was trying to just rehab but I came back for the OTA practices, after a couple days it was just something that needed to be addressed so we took another look at it and the rehab's been going awesome."

Lions head coach Dan Campbell said earlier in camp the team expected Decker back at practice after Detroit's first preseason game and true to Campbell's word Decker was removed from the PUP list and was back on the practice field for the individual portion Sunday morning.

"He will be out there individual, group. Don't see him doing any team right now, but he'll be back out moving around which is good," Campbell said before practice.

Getting Decker back in the fold at practice is important as the Lions try to work in two new starters upfront in rookie guard Tate Ratledge and second-year guard Christian Mahogany. Veteran Graham Glasgow has also moved from guard to center, so the Lions will be looking at Decker and Penei Sewell at the two tackle spots and then new starters at the three interior spots between them. The more reps together the better.

Getting Decker back at practice gives the Lions a good month to get their starting offensive line ready for the Sept. 7 opener in Green Bay. Even with some of the new and moving parts along the interior, Decker said the expectation for their performance as a unit hasn't changed.

"The standard is the standard," he said. "We're expected to be one of the top offensive lines in the league."

MANU'S DEVELOPMENT

The Lions drafted Giovanni Manu in the third round last season knowing his rookie year was going to likely be a redshirt with how raw he was coming out of college. Detroit's hoping Manu (6-7, 350) takes a big leap forward in his second season but it's been an up-and-down start to training camp and the preseason for the tackle.

"It was better. That's the best way to say it. The beginning of camp has been probably more downs than ups, and then the game was more encouraging," Campbell said of Manu's performance in the preseason opener vs. the Chargers.

"And actually, I will say this, I thought his last practice before this game was better. I do feel an uptick here, and now you just have to build off of that. Always going to be things to work on, but it was better."

With Decker still not back doing team portions of practice yet and Dan Skipper (ankle) out for about a week, it was veteran Jamarco Jones taking reps at left tackle with the first-team offense. Manu did work in some reps with the first team as well but he's still got plenty of development ahead of him.

View photos from the Detroit Lions vs. Los Angeles Chargers Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Thursday, July 31 in Canton, Ohio.

NIGHT PRACTICE

The Lions are breaking up the monotony of training camp a little bit with a night practice Monday at the Meijer Performance Center. The first nine practices of camp were at 8:30 a.m.

"I just know, I always liked it as a player, it was a good changeup," Campbell said. "It just kind of breaks the monotony of camp a little bit. And then it's, as to what our schedule has been over the last two to three years, you don't know when you're playing.

"You're playing in the afternoon, you're playing at night, you're playing five days away, four days away, six days, seven across. So, it's just how do we mix up things a little bit and get them used to a little bit of the chaos in a good way."

Veteran tight end Brock Wright said it will be a good change of pace and good preparation for the five primetime games the Lions are currently scheduled to play during the regular season.

HOOKER TO START

Hendon Hooker will start Friday's second preseason game in Atlanta after Kyle Allen started last week's preseason opener in the Hall of Fame Game.

Hooker had a really nice practice Sunday. He was perfect in a 7-on-7 period and moved the second-team offense with a lot of consistency in team periods. It might have been his best practice of camp.

EXTRA POINT

Cornerback Terrion Arnold is dealing with a low-grade hamstring injury that isn't very serious and Campbell expects him back sometime midweek.

Related Content

Advertising