The Detroit Lions are coming off a tough 2025 season, missing the postseason. They have some tough decisions to make, and one of them was seeing left tackle Taylor Decker leave after not wanting to take a significant pay cut. Now, there is a massive hole for quarterback Jared Goff’s blindside. Let’s take a closer look at how the team is planning on addressing the situation.
The Detroit Lions could move Penei Sewell to left tackle this offseason
Detroit Lions, Penei Sewell, NFL
Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell (58) during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
While appearing on a recent episode of the “Lions Collective” podcast, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes discussed how right tackle Penei Sewell could move to left tackle following the release of left tackle Taylor Decker. Below is what he said regarding the situation:
“I think that’s the beauty of having a player like him, you always have that flexibility of the possibility of him playing left tackle. He’s done it before. It’s not anything foreign to him. So even as we’re going through free agency, we weren’t really pigeonholed like, ‘We’ve got to get a left tackle. We’ve got to get a right tackle.’ We were just like, ‘What’s the best tackle for us?’ And then we’ll kind of adjust as needed. So that’s kind of the beauty of it.”
Penei Sewell started his career by playing the first eight games at left tackle while Decker was injured. When he returned, Sewell would return to right tackle and become one of the best in the sport. The Detroit Lions currently have more than $23.6 million in available cap space, so they can use it to sign a free agent or just wait until the NFL Draft to address the offensive tackle position. It will be intriguing to see where Sewell winds up lining up for the Lions in 2026.