Taylor Decker is clearly battling through pain, and the Detroit Lions’ injury report proves it. He suffered a shoulder injury early in the season—separate from the one he had surgery on in the offseason—and has skipped far more practices (10) than he’s actually participated in (only three). For someone known as one of the toughest players on the roster, that speaks volumes.

No one is happy about the situation—not the Lions, not Decker—but it’s the reality they’re facing. Resting more during the week is what’s necessary to keep him ready for game day.

“I’m lucky this organization understands what I need to feel right on Sundays,” Decker said. “Dan (Campbell) has been great about it. It’s not ideal, but I get what I need during the week so I can suit up.”

Still, the week can drag. Instead of spending the full day around teammates, Decker spends hours in the training room managing pain, trying to stay strong, and hopping into meetings and walkthroughs to keep up with the game plan. He admits it gets boring and says the training staff deserves credit for putting up with him when frustration boils over.

“I give those guys a ton of respect. I’m in there nonstop, and sometimes I’m angry and difficult,” he said. “But they never take it personally.”

Decker hinted that there’s a long-term plan to help him recover, but also admitted he’ll likely be managing this injury for much of the season.

“I’m going to be dealing with it for a while, but we’ve got a plan,” he explained. “Whatever it is, I’ll deal with it. I just don’t want to go all year without practicing or being able to lift properly.”

When you pair the words “chronic injury” with an aging offensive lineman, the question of longevity naturally comes up. Frank Ragnow retired unexpectedly at 29 this past spring due to his own lingering injury. Decker even confessed to Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network that when his shoulder first gave out, he briefly considered quitting.

“Before Week 1, I was like, ‘I’m done,’” he said. “I didn’t want to go through that grind again feeling how I felt.”

Those thoughts faded, though, thanks partly to a moment of clarity during a chat with his offseason training partner Zach Ertz. Decker was frustrated about being away from his wife and kids again — but Ertz checked him.

“‘You’re doing it because you want to,’” Decker remembered Ertz saying. “‘Not in a bad way, but you’re being selfish. You’re playing because you still want to play.’”

He’s talked with Ragnow about coping with long-term pain and life after football. But when he thinks about retirement now, what weighs on him isn’t the physical side—he’s handled that before. It’s the emotional tug-of-war between chasing a Super Bowl and being there for his kids.

“For me, it’s going to come down to the mental side, especially family,” Decker said. “I just don’t want to walk away and always wonder what could’ve been.”