The Detroit Lions need to start remaking their roster after a 9-8 season led to them missing the postseason, but with how old some of their more important players have become, Dan Campbell will need to work around some stalwars possibly hanging it up.
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The once-mighty offensive line has suffered some big losses after Kevin Zeitler departed in free agency and Frank Ragnow called it a career by retiring. After a decade of meritorious service, it seems like left tackle Taylor Decker might be closer to calling it a career.
Decker, who is finishing out a three-year, $60 million contract that pays him like one of the best tackles in football, sounded like someone who may have played his final game in the NFL, which signals a changing of the guard up front for Detroit.
In an offseason where Detroit will need to start locking up some of their best young players and won’t have a ton of money to spend in free agency, the Lions could get hit with a dose of reality very quickly as it pertains to their suddenly questionable offensive line.
Lions may have seen the last of left tackle Taylor Decker
Decker took a step back from the usual exalted tier he has found himself in under Campbell, as he was ranked just 40th out of 85 qualified tackles this season. After 10 years in the league and 140 starts to his name, Father Time is starting to eat away at Decker.
Decker and right tackle Penei Sewell have as much influence over Detroit’s recent wave of success as anyone on this team, not counting Jared Goff. Given how immobile Goff is in the pocket, having a blindside protector like Decker has shown to be an utterly invaluable asset.
Not only is Decker on his way out, but running back David Montgomery may bring an end to the Sonic and Knuckles dynamic after Jahmyr Gibbs received an increasingly large role. Will Campbell and Brad Holmes have the capacity to replace players like that with the limited resources they have at their disposal.
While Decker is not going to be a Hall of Fame player, you can’t for much more out of him than 10 years of service and a quality baseline level of production when healthy. One of a few pre-Campbell Lions who stuck around for the improvement, Decker’s Detroit tenure will be looked back on fondly.
