The Detroit Lions are undergoing a shake-up along their offensive line coming off a disappointing 2025 season. Detroit’s offense regressed, in large part because their offensive line struggled to live up to the lofty standards they set for themselves the few seasons prior.
The biggest headline for the Lions is the departure of longtime LT Taylor Decker, who requested his release from the team. However, another growing storyline is the possibility that the Lions will look to move All-Pro RT Penei Sewell to the left side, given Decker’s departure.
On Tuesday, Lions GM Brad Holmes sat down with the Lions Collective podcast to discuss the state of Detroit’s offensive line.
Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes on LT Taylor Decker’s Departure
GettyLANDOVER, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 09: Penei Sewell #58 and Taylor Decker #68 of the Detroit Lions celebrate after their team’s 44-22 victory against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
“I wouldn’t say it’s disappointment or really surprise either way,” Holmes said on what the Lions’ reaction to Decker’s release request was. “I think a lot of those situations that happen, it all starts with communication. And what you’re communicating to the player, or what you’re communicating to the player’s agent, and so it starts there. But there was really no surprises.”
“Again, you don’t really know when a player’s gonna put something out,” Holmes continued, referring to Decker’s public statements. “So you know, if you want to say there was a surprise, maybe that was the surprise. But in terms of the decisions that he made, I wouldn’t say that was a surprise.”
“Again, he’s been a really good player for our franchise for a really long time. So he’s going to be missed. I know the fans are going to miss him, the locker room’s going to miss him, but unfortunately those are the kinds of difficult decisions that have to be made at times. We wish him nothing but the best — I know he was a favorite [in Detroit], always has been. Just wish him the best of luck going forward.”
Detroit Lions GM on Moving Penei Sewell to Left Tackle and the Team’s Options at Right Tackle
“I think that’s the beauty of having a player like [Sewell], you always have that flexibility of the possibility of him playing left tackle,” Holmes said. “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.”
The Lions signed former Dolphins RT Larry Borom in free agency, signaling the possibility that Sewell may indeed move over to the left side.
“Seeing what [Borom] did at Miami, especially at right tackle, and then you start looking at the film, and it’s like, ‘Man, this is probably about the most consistent ball that I’ve seen him play,'” Holmes said. “Then, you start taking a deeper dive of him at right tackle, even in the past, and you start seeing this level of consistency versus the guard spots or the left tackle spots. Not saying that he can’t play those spots, too, because he can, but that’s what kept him up there for us.”
GM Brad Holmes Shares Update on Penei Sewell & Lions Offensive Line