Pittsburgh — After fully participating in the week of practice, Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker will make his season debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Decker missed the first eight games after suffering a finger injury requiring surgery days before the season opener. With Decker out, the Lions shifted rookie Penei Sewell to left tackle.
The first-round draft pick will move back to right tackle, where he spent the preseason. There he’ll draw the difficult challenge of slowing Pittsburgh’s two-time All-Pro T.J. Watt on Sunday, who ranks second in the NFL with 11.5 sacks coming into the contest.
While Decker should provide a boost to Detroit’s anemic offense, the team will wait another week before incorporating Josh Reynolds into the mix. The veteran receiver, who joined the team off waivers on Thursday, was deemed unready to contribute and scratched from the lineup shortly before kickoff.
Detroit’s other inactives for the contest are outside linebackers Austin Bryant and Jessie Lemonier, defensive lineman Kevin Strong and running back Jamaal Williams.
Williams had been ruled out Friday and will miss his second consecutive game. Still, he traveled with the team and participated in pre-game workouts, suggesting his return to practice is imminent.
Bryant was a limited practice participant throughout the week with a shoulder injury and had been listed as questionable for the contest. Meanwhile, Strong and Lemonier were healthy scratches.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers