Lions HC Dan Campbell On All-Pro Penei Sewell Changing Spots: He ‘Can Do It All’

The Detroit Lions are moving three-time first-team All-Pro Penei Sewell from right tackle to left tackle, the position he played as a rookie and throughout his college career at Oregon, head coach Dan Campbell confirmed. The switch fills the void left by Taylor Decker, who requested his release after a decade as the team’s starting left tackle.

Detroit used the No. 17 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Sewell out of Oregon, where he was an award-winning left tackle. He started the first eight games of his rookie season on the left side while Decker was injured, making him the youngest left tackle to start an NFL game at 20 years old, before moving to the right side midway through that year. He remained at right tackle for the following four-plus seasons. To fill the right tackle role, Detroit selected Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller with the No. 17 pick in last month’s draft and also added veteran Larry Borom.

Sewell’s credentials make the position change a calculated risk the Lions are willing to accept. He earned first-team All-Pro honours in each of the past three seasons and Pro Bowl recognition four consecutive times across his first five years – a combination matched in that same compressed timeframe only by Hall of Famers Anthony Munoz, Tony Boselli and Joe Thomas, all of whom played left tackle exclusively throughout their careers. Sewell is currently in the first year of a four-year, $112 million contract. Campbell said the lineman’s athleticism and prior experience on the left side should ease the transition. “It’ll be like riding a bike for him,” Campbell said. “He played a lot of left in college and for us in ’21.” Sewell himself has noted that switching sides demands retraining leg mechanics, because the lead foot and the distribution of power change depending on which side of the line a tackle plays.

With offseason workouts underway, the Lions will use the pre-season to determine how quickly Sewell readjusts to the left side and whether Miller or Borom proves more capable of anchoring the right. Detroit enters the coming season with a rebuilt offensive line built around one of the game’s most decorated young linemen now operating in a new alignment.