Lions' Dan Campbell: I'd like to move Penei Sewell to LT this fall

PHOENIX - After three All-Pro seasons at right tackle, the Detroit Lions are preparing to move Penei Sewell to left tackle this fall.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said at the league's annual meeting Monday, March 30, that he prefers for Sewell play left tackle this season though he stopped short of committing to a position change as part of the Lions' new-look offensive line.

"I’ve talked to him," Campbell said. "We're ready to do that if need be. I don’t want to say that right now I’m going to commit to that, but that’s – we’re ready to do that. And all he wants is a couple days to work his left-handed stance a little bit. It’s a little bit like riding a bike for him. He’ll be fine. He’ll be fine. He’ll bank some reps and be able to do it, but he gives us that flexibility.

"If you’re asking me, I’d like to move him. I would. I’d like to move him to the left."

Sewell has not played left tackle as his primary position since he won the Outland Trophy  as college football's best lineman at Oregon in 2019.

He sat out the 2020 season during COVID and started the first eight games of his NFL career at left tackle in place of an injured Taylor Decker in 2021, but has played right tackle in the 4½ seasons since.

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The Lions released Decker in a cost-cutting move this offseason, opening one starting job at tackle. They added Larry Borom in free agency , and while Borom has experience at both tackle positions they consider him a potential starter at right tackle.

Campbell said Sewell's flexibility is important as the Lions fill out the rest of their line. Already, they've added a new starting center in Cade Mays and veteran depth at guard in Ben Bartch and Juice Scruggs , and the could target another tackle in the draft.

"You don’t get that everywhere with every player, but it also shows how special he is," Campbell said. "As a rookie he banked real reps against real guys at left tackle and adapted to us, and then he goes to right. And I know it’s been years but yeah, there’ll be a little rust maybe at first. He’s going to be fine. The guy’s phenomenal and he’s going to work on it until he gets it the way he wants it to where it feels like the right side."

Campbell said his desire to see Sewell play left tackle is less about protecting quarterback Jared Goff 's blind side – most NFL defenses move their best rushers around to target matchups – and more about the confidence having Sewell at that position will give the entire offense.

"What Decker’s been able to do for all those years, you see some of those where he’s able to anchor and Goff is kind of, they’re back to back back and he makes those throws, he steps up, there’s a security blanket there subconsciously," Campbell said. "And I just think that’s, to know who’s back there and to feel like, 'OK, even I feel that 'backer, I’m good.' I just think it brings a little extra security and most of the time if it doesn’t go that way, at least you know where it’s coming from or you can feel it. If I’m the quarterback, it’s all in front of me."

Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at  dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on  Bluesky ,  X  and  Instagram  at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions' Dan Campbell: I'd like to move Penei Sewell to LT this fall