The Detroit Lions’ injury list continues to grow as they gear up for their Week 6 primetime clash with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. On Saturday, the team officially announced that three more players have been ruled out — offensive tackles Taylor Decker (shoulder), Giovanni Manu (knee), and defensive back Avonte Maddox (hamstring). None of the trio were able to recover enough to suit up this weekend.
This comes after Detroit had already ruled out running back Sione Vaki (groin), linebacker Zach Cunningham (hamstring), and cornerback Terrion Arnold (shoulder) on Friday — bringing the total number of unavailable players to six for the matchup in Kansas City.
Decker’s shoulder injury has nagged him for much of the season. The Lions decided to rest him instead of pushing him to play through the discomfort, hoping the extra time off will allow him to fully recover and stay healthy for the remainder of the year.
With Decker sidelined last week, Manu stepped into the starting left tackle role. Unfortunately, he sustained a knee injury and was later added to the injury report on Thursday. Like many players who appear midweek, his condition didn’t improve quickly enough to play. In their absence, Detroit is expected to start Dan Skipper, who was promoted to the active roster this week. Skipper served as the team’s third offensive tackle last season and made two starts when Decker was injured. He’s now fully recovered from his own injury and ready to fill the gap. Devin Cochran, currently on the practice squad, is likely to be elevated once again for depth.
Maddox, who joined the injury report later in the week, also won’t be available. The veteran defensive back has primarily served as Detroit’s third safety and backup nickel corner this season. He was projected to start at nickel against the Chiefs with Amik Robertson shifting outside to cover for the injured Arnold. With Maddox ruled out, Detroit will likely bring up another defensive back — possibly Tre Flowers, Erick Hallett, Nick Whiteside, or newly-signed veteran Arthur Maulet — to round out the roster.
The Lions still have three players listed as questionable: wide receiver Kalif Raymond, and starting safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. Both Branch and Joseph are considered game-time decisions, but their omission from the “out” list suggests there’s optimism they’ll be available for the Sunday night contest.
