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Penei Sewell has been an All-Pro three times and a Pro Bowl selection four times during his first five seasons, putting him in elite company with just three Hall of Famers.
The Detroit Lions are changing Sewell’s position this season, differentiating him from Anthony Muñoz, Tony Boselli and Joe Thomas.
The trio of former all-time greats are the only other offensive tackles who were first-team All-Pro at least three times and were named to the Pro Bowl four or more times in their first five years in the league, and were left tackles throughout their NFL careers.
Detroit is making the decision to replace Taylor Decker while moving first-round pick Blake Miller or newly acquired veteran Larry Borom into Sewell’s former spot at right tackle.
Lions coach Dan Campbell expects a seamless transition for the 6-foot-5, 335-pound Sewell.
“It’s going to be like riding a bike for him,” Campbell said Friday before the team’s workout. “Will there be things he’s going to have to learn? Yes, of course there will be. But I mean, he’s played left. That’s muscle memory. He played left a lot in college and for us in ’21.”
Detroit selected Sewell out of Oregon, where he was an award-winning left tackle, with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Sewell started the first eight games of his career in 2021 at left tackle because Decker was injured, making him the youngest left tackle to start an NFL game at age 20.
The Lions moved Sewell to right tackle midway through his rookie year, and he remained there for the past four-plus seasons, aside from a brief stint during the 2023 season when Decker was injured again.
“Sewell can do it all,” Campbell said.
Decker asked for his release during the offseason, ending a 10-year career as the team’s starting left tackle after announcing he would return rather than retire. The Lions addressed the void by taking Miller out of Clemson with the 17th pick last month.
Sewell, who is in the first season of a four-year, $112 million contract, has proven to be a great pick for Detroit.
He earned first-team honors, All-Pro the last three years and Pro Bowl recognition four consecutive times. Sewell has started 83 regular-season starts, plus four playoff games, in five years to help the long-suffering franchise become a respected team in the league.
Campbell said Sewell is athletic enough to play guard or even tight end, but switching sides for an offensive lineman can be a challenge.
Players who have done the move say it’s like driving a car with the opposite foot or shaving with the other hand. The footwork is different, as is the hand-eye coordination required on each side.
“When you switch, you have a different leg in front,” Sewell said. “So you have to push a different leg each time. You have to train this leg that has been behind the whole time and is recovering to push now.”
Information from The Associated Press.
