About once a week for most of the past two months, Taylor Decker has walked into the Lions locker room, drenched in sweat, headphones on, and politely declined an interview request.

Decker, the Lions' starting left tackle who tore the labrum in his right shoulder during Organized Team Activities in June, has been diligently rehabbing behind the scenes in Allen Park, though he's said he does not want to talk publicly about his injury or his return until he's back on the practice field.

When that will be, only the Lions know.

But judging by the intensity of his workouts, and the range of motion he's shown doing simple tasks in the locker room, it could be soon.

"It seems like he’s getting more and more antsy I think every week," left guard Graham Glasgow said Monday. "But he’s definitely ready to, I feel like, come back out here and play when he feels like he’s physically healthy enough."

The Lions have not placed a timetable on Decker's return, though coach Jim Caldwell said late last month that Decker was on track for a midseason return.

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Decker was eligible to come off the physically unable to perform list on Monday, but given that he'll need practice reps to get into playing shape, the Lions were not expected to start his three-week practice window on a week when they held just one light workout.

It seems unlikely that Decker will play when the Lions return from their bye Oct. 29 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the hope has been that he would be back on the field sometime in early November.

New Orleans Saints left tackle Terron Armstead tore the labrum in his left shoulder two weeks after Decker in June, did not start the season on PUP, and played his first game last week against the Lions, when he started and played 64 of a possible 71 offensive snaps.

All injuries are different, of course, but Armstead returned to practice on Sept. 27 and needed 2 1/2 weeks before appearing in his first game.

Because Decker is on PUP, the Lions have until the start of Week 12 to either return him to practice or place him on season-ending injured reserve.

Glasgow, who played alongside Decker for most of their rookie seasons last year, said Decker's return would a big lift for an offensive line that's struggled this year and is currently tied for the most sacks allowed (23) in the NFL.

Greg Robinson, who's started all six games at left tackle for the Lions this year, has given up a team-high 4.5 sacks and left last week's loss to the Saints with an ankle injury.

"I think it'd be fantastic," Glasgow said. "I think whenever you get a great player like Decker back that it’ll help and I think that he’ll be ready to play. I think that when he comes back, he’ll be good on his assignments and good on everything that made him a good player last year."

Glasgow said Decker's return should have help him and the rest of his linemates up their play, too.

"I’ve been playing with Greg now for quite some time and I think that Greg’s a good player and Greg can do a lot of good things," Glasgow said. "We’ll just have to see. I think that it’ll be good to have him back, though."

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!