Lions' top 10 most impactful injuries of 2025: No. 1, Taylor Decker

The Detroit Lions finished the 2025 NFL season with a 9-8 record, finishing fourth in the NFC North and missing the playoffs. Injuries played a significant role in their performance, with the team ranking as the second-most injured in the league based on man-games lost, following a similar issue in 2024 where they were No. 1.

There were 10 injuries that stood out as most impactful. Let’s review the Top 10 in chronological order of when the injury occurred. We start with No. 1, which occurred back in the 2024 season:

#1 Taylor Decker – right shoulder (2024)

Here is my excerpt for Decker:

Decker’s shoulder issue started during the 2024 season as a rotator cuff issue, and he ended up getting surgery in the offseason. While he only missed 2 games for the shoulder in 2025, it bothered him the entire season as you can see here in Week 7. – Jimmy Liao MD

Taylor Decker R shoulder
-Late in Week 7 appears to aggravate it
-Has been battling thru shoulder issue(s) since offseason surgery
-Missed prior 2g
-Hope bye is enough to recover but might be worthwhile to take at least another game off sometime before playoffs pic.twitter.com/z5eoyuPdUf

— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) October 22, 2025

The shoulder isn’t the only issue that Decker has been dealing with in recent years. Here is his accumulated injury history.

2024 Surgeries: He underwent procedures for a toe sesamoidectomy, ankle deltoid ligament, and bone spurs.
2024/2025 Strains: He suffered a right pec strain, a right rotator cuff injury in practice, and an MCL/ankle sprain late in 2024.
Chronic Issues: A persistent toe injury and signs of arthritis (bone spurs) in his shoulder continue to cause chronic inflammation.

Outlook

At 33 years old, Decker is at an age where recovery timelines lengthen and chronic pain becomes harder to manage. Unless Decker experiences a dramatic improvement in shoulder health with extended rest, retirement remains a very real possibility. Even if he returns for another season, the risk of recurrence or worsening symptoms will be high.