Allen Park — Detroit Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker could still play in the team’s Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks, but coach Dan Campbell said it’s closer to an outside shot on Friday. Decker is officially listed as doubtful for the contest after missing the entire week of practice with an ankle injury he suffered in the early stages of the team’s season-opening win at Kansas City last week.
The Lions are still sorting through contingency plans, trying to find the best combination of their remaining linemen if Decker is unable to go.
Campbell detailed some of the options, which included moving right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai to left tackle and filling his spot with Graham Glasgow, or flipping right tackle Penei Sewell to the left side and moving Vaitai to right tackle, while inserting Glasgow at guard. Finally, the team could leave Vaitai at guard, where he’s been highly effective when healthy, and play Sewell and Matt Nelson at the tackle spots.
In recent years, when Decker has been sidelined by injury, the Lions moved Sewell from right to left tackle and plugged Nelson in on the right side. That said, if the ultimate goal is to get the best five players on the field, the recently re-signed Glasgow is more accomplished than Nelson.
But Glasgow can’t play tackle, which would require moving Vaitai. He’s played both tackle spots in his career, but never in the regular season during his three years with Detroit.
Unexpected blow
The Lions are dealing with another unexpected injury after defensive lineman Josh Paschal came out of Thursday’s practice because of a knee injury.
Campbell was vague with details, calling it an “episode” and “irritation,” but the injury is concerning enough that it will keep Paschal out of Sunday’s game, and potentially for multiple weeks.
“I don’t think serious, but there is a chance — we’ll know more today — there is a chance he’ll be out for a little bit,” Campbell said. “But I don’t feel like this is something that could be a season-ending type deal.”
Paschal, a second-round pick from a year ago, had an encouraging debut to the season and was in line for a bigger role, according to defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn on Thursday.
“That’s one guy that I’ve talked about since OTAs that I was excited about seeing because of the fact that he’s had a (full) offseason to train,” Glenn said, referencing a core muscle injury that sidelined Paschal through training camp and the start of his rookie season. “…It doesn’t surprise me at all that he was effective in that manner, and I expect him to continue to grow in the positions that we have him in. So, you will see him out there more.”
Despite the blow, Campbell highlighted Detroit’s depth up front, which should help overcome what the team is hoping will be a temporary loss. The two names mentioned to help backfill Pascal’s role were Romeo Okwara and Isaiah Buggs, two former starters who were healthy scratches for the opener.
Injury roundup
In addition to Paschal, the Lions also ruled out cornerbacks Emmanuel Moseley and Khalil Dorsey.
Moseley, who is still working his way back from last year’s ACL tear, suffered a hamstring strain that kept him out of practice all week. Dorsey, who handled kickoff returns and served as one of Detroit’s punt-coverage gunners in the season opener, was sidelined this week by an illness.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
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