Taylor Decker: 'I Was One of the Best Tackles in Football'

Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker wants to continue to improve to help the team win in 2021

One of the bright spots of the Detroit Lions' 2020 season was the play of the offensive line. 

Despite not having success on the defensive side, Detroit's offense played with consistency, and racked up solid numbers.

Former general manager Bob Quinn appears to have found a foundation along the offensive line that can play together and produce for the next few seasons. 

Among the cornerstone pieces of the offensive line is left tackle Taylor Decker. 

According to MLive, "Pro Football Focus ranked Decker 12th overall and seventh in pass protection among all tackles. The 2016 first-round pick allowed two sacks and 29 pressures on 1,066 snaps. Decker is the eighth-highest paid left tackle around per Over the Cap. He’s one of the youngest near the top of that list and could be quite the bargain in a hurry."

Asked to speak Monday on his own play this season, Decker was candid in his assessment of the season he had. 

"I personally think I had a really good year," Decker said. "I think I was one of the best tackles in football, and I wasn't going to say that during the season. But, the season is over now, and hopefully, that's something I can build on and improve upon." 

© Kirthmon F. Dozier via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Decker wants to take a leadership role and share ideas with front office

The 27-year-old offensive lineman expressed during his media session that he wanted to share his ideas with Detroit's front office, prior to leaving Allen Park for the final time this season. 

“I think having that perspective as a player, every day for six months working with certain people and seeing how things are done, (allows) to try and give that perspective,” Decker explained. “And then, like I said, ultimately it’s not my decision to make, and I don’t want to overstep and try to say I know everything because I don’t. But, I just want to give my perspective to see if I can help, because I want to help this team. I help this team on the field, but if I can do it off, I would love to.”

Team president Rod Wood explained that the lines of communication are open for players to voice their opinions. 

“I’ve had several one-on-one meetings with players. Then, we had a group meeting with some of the leadership yesterday. I know several of them also stopped in and talked to Chris (Spielman) on their way out," he said. "I won’t get into any of those conversations, but the lines of communication are open for sure." 

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