The Detroit Lions went through a pretty significant change along the interior of their offensive line in 2025. This upcoming season, it’s likely time for the offensive tackle position to prepare for a transition.
Dan Skipper has already retired, and the Lions await a decision from left tackle Taylor Decker on his football future. But no matter what Decker decides is best for him, the Lions would be wise to approach the offseason with change in mind.
Let’s get into it in our latest Detroit Lions positional recap and offseason preview.
Previously:
- QB recap: Jared Goff still in the prime of his career
- RB recap: Breaking down 2 huge decisions for Lions
- TE recap: 2026 is a pivotal offseason for TEs
- WR recap: Lions face just 1 offseason question
Lions 2025 recap: Offensive tackles
- Taylor Decker stats (14 games):
- 67.9 PFF grade — 40th out of 86 qualifying OTs
- 69.5 pass blocking grade — 39th out of 82
- 62.1 run blocking grade — 56th out of 86
- Penei Sewell stats (16 games):
- 95.1 PFF grade — 1st out of 86 qualifying OTs
- 80.3 pass blocking grade — 8th out of 82
- 96.8 run blocking grade — 1st out of 86
- Dan Skipper (12 games, 5 starts):
- 50.5 PFF grade — Did not qualify
- 69.3 pass blocking grade
- 47.5 run blocking grade
Penei Sewell continued to have an incredible season in 2025, despite him believing it wasn’t his best year. He’s earned First-Team All Pro yet again, and he’s up for the inaugural Protector of the Year Award, which will be announced later this week.
Decker battled a shoulder injury all season. It required him to miss the majority of practices each week and an intense routine of rehab and prehab. Despite the physical struggles, Decker still produced an above-average season. He did have his lowest-graded season since 2017 and worst pass blocking grade (69.5), but that speaks more to how underappreciated he’s been. He’s still very capable of being a reliable, solid left tackle in this league.
But throughout the season, Decker talked about his thoughts on retirement. The shoulder injury clearly took a toll mentally, as he pondered his future with his family. At the end of the year, Decker made it clear if he were to make the decision right away, his football career would be over. But he wanted to remove himself from the emotional moment, gather more information on his health, and a make a decision on his future at a later time.
“If that’s what my future is going to be to continue to play—that’s not something I’m willing to do. Because I’m not willing to put my family through it,” Decker said after the Lions’ final season. “I’m not willing to be distant and not be a present father, because your kids are only little once, and, God willing, we have more. I want to be able to play with them. I want to be able to throw the ball with them. I mean, I can’t throw a football right now. No way. But could I (play in 2026), given the right set of circumstances? Maybe. But I need to go through that process.”
Manu didn’t take the jump to be OT3, as some were hoping. Instead, he battled injuries, missing the final three months of the season with a knee injury.
2026 for outlook
- Penei Sewell (signed through 2029)
- Taylor Decker (2027)
- Giovanni Manu (2027)
- Devin Cochran (2026)
Pending free agents:
- Jamarco Jones (unrestricted)
- Chris Hubbard (street free agent, can sign now)
- Dan Skipper (retired)
While the Lions, in theory, could be fine in 2026 with Sewell, Decker, and Manu as their top three tackles, the potential retirement of Decker—plus the already-announced retirement of Dan Skipper—should change Detroit’s strategy immediately.
Last year, the Lions found themselves somewhat unprepared at the center position after Frank Ragnow’s retirement after the draft. They may have been able to patchwork things with Graham Glasgow at center and rookie Tate Ratledge at right guard, but the interior offensive line didn’t hold up. The Lions can’t afford to make the same mistake twice.
Detroit needs to prepare for Decker’s retirement this offseason, whether it ends up happening or not. That means, at the very least, adding a starting tackle in free agency. Sure, they could (and should) consider an offensive tackle with their first or second-round pick, but they cannot just wait to see if their preferred option falls to them in the draft. Rather than aggressively going up to get their guy in the draft and spending valuable draft resources, or taking the risk to see if he falls to them, they need a Plan A to ensure their flexibility in the draft.
To be fair, finding a starting tackle in free agency is no easy task. Teams don’t generally let great starting offensive linemen just walk for nothing in free agency. But there are some intriguing players that do admittedly come with some questions, including Jonah Williams, Rob Havenstein, and Jermaine Eluemunor.
If Decker ends up sticking around, yeah, it’ll be a little weird to have another starter on the roster—especially one that may have signed with the expectation to start. But for the Lions, it still makes sense to have that contingency plan and have another strong depth option with Skipper now retired. In short, offensive tackle needs to be a high priority regardless of Decker’s decision.
