Lions' Taylor Decker hits 100-game milestone

Detroit — Taylor Decker has blocked for running backs like Bo Scarbrough, Kerryon Johnson, Ameer Abdullah, and LeGarrette Blount. He played under Jim Caldwell and Matt Patricia.

Which is a roundabout reminder that his time in Detroit hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows.

But as entered the game’s first play from scrimmage Sunday, he accomplished something only three other tackles have done in the franchise’s history: Play 100 games in a Lions uniform.

Decker reflected on his journey through a written piece on the Lions website, saying, “The NFL and the Detroit Lions have given me so much. Football is bigger than any one player, and I have been fortunate to play a part in the story here.

“But I have a lot more to give to this game and to this franchise.”

Decker, 30, was drafted 16th overall by the Lions in 2016 after a successful college career at Ohio State, where Decker started 15 games en route to a national title with the Buckeyes in the 2015 College Football Playoff. 

The Lions made playoffs in Decker’s first season (2016) but were promptly erased by the Seattle Seahawks and haven’t returned to the postseason since. Decker is the only player who can say he’s stuck around for all of it, but it seemingly came at a price. 

“Here I was giving everything to this game just to have my team laughed at and joked about. Winners are remembered, and I felt like my football life was going to be completely forgotten. That was a hopeless feeling,” Decker wrote, noting that he played through three regimes in five seasons. 

Last season, the Lions claimed their first winning season since 2016 and this season are 3-1 entering Week 4. Though those times were difficult, Decker wrote, they were all worth it.

“Years from now, when I look back on my career, I know that these will be the sweetest years I’ll have with the fondest memories as I continue to move forward with a newfound perspective,” Decker said.

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

Twitter/X: @nolanbianchi