Detroit Lions sign Dan Skipper to practice squad putting Taylor Decker’s status in doubt

The Detroit Lions announced on Friday morning that they have signed reserve offensive tackle Dan Skipper to the practice squad.

That could be an ominous sign for the health of Lions offensive tackles Matt Nelson and Taylor Decker, who are both dealing with injuries. Nelson suffered an ankle injury during Sunday’s game against the Steelers, serving as the team’s extra swing tackle. Though he returned to practice on Thursday, he was still limited in his participation.

Perhaps more worrisome is Decker’s injury. He played every snap on Sunday and was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice. However, it appears he suffered an injury during the week, as he was absent on Thursday, dealing with a new elbow issue. Decker, of course, had just returned to the lineup the last week after dealing with a finger injury that required surgery and sidelined him for the first half of the season.

It’s a tough blow to the Lions this week, as the Cleveland Browns hold one of the best pass rushes in the league. Defensive end Myles Garrett leads the NFL with 13 sacks.

Skipper is a familiar face to Detroit. He spent a year with the Lions in 2017 and was on and off the team several times between 2019 and 2021. He also spent all of training camp with the team this year before getting waived/injured at the end of the preseason. Skipper has never started an NFL game, but last year with Detroit he made five game appearances, playing mostly on special teams.