The Detroit Lions kicked off their preseason campaign with a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in the annual Hall of Fame Game. Fortunately, the defending NFC North champions won't have to wait long for a second chance at an exhibition win as they face the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 8.
While fans should expect to see more veterans take the field in that matchup than they did for the HOF Game, one key member of the offense will still not be healthy enough to play.
Taylor Decker will return to the individual portion of Lions practice today. Also, Dan Skipper (ankle) will be out of practice for about a week, per Dan Campbell
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) August 3, 2025
Lions Fan Favorite Dan Skipper to Miss 2nd Preseason Game on Friday
The Detroit Lions received some good news on Sunday regarding the status of veteran offensive tackle Taylor Decker, as he was cleared to return to the individual portion of the team's training camp practice on Sunday.
Unfortunately, the other news regarding the offensive line wasn't as positive. Fan-favorite OT Dan Skipper is still a week or so away from being able to return to the practice field, as he's rehabbing an ankle injury he suffered during the Hall of Fame Game. With that timeline in place, Skipper is likely to miss the team's second preseason game.
A week-to-week injury at this stage of the preseason is a better problem to have than any long-term prognosis. With that being said, having Decker and Skipper dinged up at the same time is certainly not ideal. This is especially true when Dan Campbell has singled out the player behind them on the depth chart as someone who has disappointed thus far.
The sooner Skipper, as well as Decker, can be back in the lineup, the better. There is no job more important for the offensive line than keeping Jared Goff upright and healthy. Those two seem to be the best options to take on that role at the left tackle spot.