The Detroit Lions' offseason offensive line overhaul keyed on moving All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell to the left side to replace veteran Taylor Decker.
While it's early in the process, with no contact drills yet in offseason workouts, coach Dan Campbell expressed confidence that the move will be smooth.
"Good. He's over there, he's been really since -- he's been working it even being back home before we started offseason, once I gave him the word," Campbell said Friday. "So, it'll be like riding a bike for him. Will it be things he'll have to learn? Yeah, of course there will be. But I mean, he has played left. That's muscle memory. He played a lot of left in college and for us in '21, those first few games. And he still took reps at left even over the last five years, so that'll be seamless. That'll be seamless. Sewell can do it all."
Sewell started the first eight games of his rookie campaign at left tackle, when Decker was injured, before making the move to the right side, where he's established himself as one of the best linemen in all of football. In his career, Sewell has played 683 snaps on the left side, per Pro Football Focus, 536 came in that rookie season.
Switching positions on the O-line isn't as easy as some would make it out, but Sewell's talent and previous experience give the Lions confidence that the move won't diminish the All-Pro's effect on the offense.
"His talent speaks for itself, and then he's got all the intangibles, I mean that's why he's rare," Campbell said. "He has all the skills, he has all the intangibles, and he works hard, man, he works hard. So he's versatile, I mean, there's a number of positions he could play. I think he could play guard if we want him to play guard. I've already told you he can play tight end if you need him to play tight end on some stuff. Just the big thing will be don't overload him. ... He'll do whatever we ask him to do, he's a team guy."
The Lions drafting Blake Miller in the first round cemented Sewell's move to the left side, and the addition of free-agent center Cade Mays should help stabilize the problematic middle of the line. The guard spots are held by 2024 sixth-rounder Christian Mahogany and 2025 second-rounder Tate Ratledge. Both are coming off up-and-down seasons, but the hope is that with better support, each can take a step forward in 2026.
"I like those guys. And it's early, but Cade, man, he's a good-looking dude, man," Campbell said when asked if he's confident the group will be better than last year. "He's a big man, he's built right, moves pretty good. And now it's just getting up to speed with our terminology, the MIKE points, all that. But I like Cade, man, he's a good fit for us. He's a good fit for us. And same thing with Larry Borom, man. Moving Sewell over to left, I think for what you want from a young guy, talking about with where we are going in week six of offseason or whatever, I like where Ratledge is going. That's good, it's good. So I feel a guy that learned a lot and has grown, has taken some of those things, so that's good. But yeah, we've got a lot of competition in there."
Getting better line play is key for the Lions offense to get back on track after last year's disappointing season.
