The Detroit Lions are going to be without two key starters in left tackle Taylor Decker and cornerback D.J. Reed for the Week 5 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Decker has been battling a shoulder issue since early in the season. While Decker was able to suit up in the first four games, he was downgraded to doubtful on Sunday morning before being ruled out.
Reed suffered a hamstring injury in Week 4 and had to be carted off the field, which led to concerns that his issue might be season-ending.
Here's what we know about the respective statuses of each player moving forward.
How long is Taylor Decker out?
There has been nothing to indicate that Decker will miss the Week 6 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs, but we can't rule that out, either.
Decker has admitted he might be dealing with his shoulder issue for much of the season, but the team has a plan to try and help him fight through it.
“I think it’s something that I’m going to have to deal with a lot for a good portion of the year, but we have a plan in place right now,” Decker admitted, per Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit.
“We do have a plan in place of what we’re going to do moving forward to try and mitigate having to deal with it. Because I don’t think—whatever the plan has to be, that’s fine. But I don’t want to not have to practice and not be able to do all the lifts I need to do the entire season,” he added.
To be clear, Decker's injury is unrelated to the offseason shoulder surgery he had.
With Decker out, the Lions will likely deploy Giovanni Manu in his spot.
How long is D.J. Reed out?
Reed has been placed on injured reserve, which means he'll miss at least the next four games.
With the Lions having a bye in Week 8, the earliest Reed can return to the field is Week 10 against the Washington Commanders. Bye weeks do not count toward the four-week minimum stay on injured reserve.
It initially looked like Reed suffered a season-ending injury, but head coach Dan Campbell said tests revealed it wasn't as bad as the team thought at first.
“He’s going to be down for a while, but the good news is it’s not a season-ender. We will get him back, it looks like,” Campbell said.
With Reed sidelined, we'll see more Amik Robertson on the boundary opposite Terrion Arnold, and Khalil Dorsey, Avonte Maddox and/or Rock Ya-Sin could bolster their snap counts depending how much slot work Robertson sees.
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