Dan Campbell Gives Concerning Taylor Decker Injury Update
The Detroit Lions may be 4-1 and rolling into Week 6 as one of the NFL’s top teams, but not everything is trending in the right direction, especially when it comes to veteran left tackle
Decker, who’s been battling a lingering shoulder injury since the start of the season, missed Sunday’s 37-24 win over the Bengals, and head coach Dan Campbell didn’t exactly sound optimistic about his recovery moving forward.
“Diminishing Returns Each Week”
Campbell was brutally honest when asked about Decker’s status. The team initially hoped that extra rest and rehab during the week would allow him to be ready for Sundays, but that plan appears to have hit a wall.
“Every week, the recovery has been less and less,” Campbell said as quoted by SideLion Report. “He’s not been able to quite catch up, we feel like there’s diminishing returns each week. Man, it’s a little, ah. We just felt like we need to give this guy a little time, and I don’t know how long. But this is so we get him back.”
That quote says a lot. It’s not just about missing a game, it’s about the reality that Decker’s shoulder isn’t improving, and the team may need to think long-term to preserve him for the stretch run.
Giovanni Manu Steps Up (Sort Of)
With Decker sidelined, the Lions turned to 2024 fourth-round pick Giovanni Manu, a developmental tackle. Manu had some promising moments, especially in the run game, but his inexperience showed at times.
Campbell acknowledged as much, noting that Manu has plenty of room to grow.
“I thought he did some good things in the run game. I thought there were some play-action passes he did a good job. And then there were some that they weren’t good, and he’ll learn from.”
The Lions also re-signed Dan Skipper to the active roster this week and elevated Devin Cochran from the practice squad, a clear sign the team is preparing for the possibility that Decker could miss more time.
Why It Matters
Decker isn’t just any player, he’s the longest-tenured Lion on the roster and one of the most respected voices in the locker room. Since being drafted in 2016, he’s been a cornerstone on an offensive line that has grown into one of the league’s best.
If his shoulder doesn’t improve, Detroit could be looking at a major challenge protecting Jared Goff’s blind side. Campbell made it clear he won’t rush Decker back if it means risking his long-term health.
“I don’t want to put Decker out there if it means we get a couple of games and don’t have him for the rest of the year. It makes no sense. So we’ll play this smart.”
The Bottom Line
Decker’s injury is becoming one of the Lions’ biggest storylines of the season, not because of how he’s playing, but because of how much they miss his presence when he’s not on the field.
For now, Detroit will rely on Manu, Skipper, and a mix of line adjustments to keep Goff upright. But everyone inside Allen Park knows one thing: if the Lions want to make a deep postseason run, they’ll need Taylor Decker back, healthy, strong, and ready for the long haul.
Vikings Could Be on Brink of Losing $66 Million Pro Bowler: Report
The Minnesota Vikings will face some tough decisions next offseason and could lose some of the more prominent members of their roster because of financial considerations.
Among those players is two-time Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson. He has the third-largest overall deal of any tight end in the NFL, behind only George Kittle and Trey McBride. Hockenson also makes the fourth-most money in annual average salary, behind only his two aforementioned peers and Travis Kelce.
Hockenson is playing in the second season of his four-year, $66 million extension in 2025, though the Vikings have an out in the contract for the price of $12.5 million.
Darren Wolfson of KSTP said on the SKOR North podcast Friday, October 10, that Hockenson may not be back next season because of how pricey his deal is. Wolfson added that if the tight end does return to Minnesota in 2026, he will do so as part of a restructured agreement.
“I’m not there yet on next March you have to shop Jordan Addison” 🙅♂️
– @DWolfsonKSTP on #Vikings WR Jordan Addison
“You look at the T.J. Hockenson contract for next year, he certainly isn’t playing next year under the terms of that deal,” Wolfson said. “Maybe he’s here, but he’s going to have to renegotiate. We don’t know. That’s a question mark.”
Vikings Face Difficult Salary Cap Situation in 2026
GettyMinnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
The Vikings are currently more than $37 million in the red with regards to the 2026 salary cap. And that’s considerably better than where the team’s finances stood back in June.
“You can roll over unused cap space, which they are probably going to need because, as of right now, no team is further over the cap in 2026 than the Minnesota Vikings,” SKOR North host Phil Mackey said on June 20. “They’re like $50 million over the cap.”
Mackey’s co-host, Judd Zulgad, offered what he saw as the team’s way out beyond rolling over space.
“Be prepared next March for a lot of deals to be … reworked, or a lot of guys to just be let go, too,” Zulgad said.
T.J. Hockenson’s Stock Has Dropped Following Injury in 2023-24, Drop in Production This Season
GettyTight end T.J. Hockenson of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota would surely prefer to keep Hockenson after trading a second- and third-round picks to the Detroit Lions for the tight end and two fourth-rounders in 2022. But even if the Vikings hold onto him, that means the roster will take hits elsewhere.
Hockenson’s bargaining power could come into play as well, and it is far from its all-time high.
He missed two games at the end of 2023 and another seven to start last season due to a torn ligaments in his knee. He has tallied 19 catches for 153 yards and one score across five games in 2025, which puts him on track for 65 catches, 520 yards and three touchdowns if he remains healthy.
Those are significant dips from 2022 and 2023, when he averaged more than 90 catches, nearly 950 receiving yards and 5.5 touchdowns per season. The drop in production isn’t all Hockenson’s fault, however. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to that issue on October 6.
“We’re asking a lot of him right now that doesn’t necessarily coincide with him being one of the best route-running tight ends in the NFL,” O’Connell said. “There’s some sacrifice going on all across our football team to do whatever is required to win one game.”
Namely, Minnesota is asking Hockenson to pass block at a higher rate than ever before due to a slew of injuries to the offensive line. But regardless of the reasons, the Vikings front office will be able to use Hockenson’s recent injury history and subsequent drop in statistical production against him at the negotiating table, as will any other team in free agency if Hockenson refuses to restructure his deal and Minnesota ends up cutting or trading him next spring.
