The Detroit Lions went through a pretty significant change to the interior of their offensive line in 2025. This upcoming season, it will likely be time for the offensive tackle position to prepare for a transition.
Dan Skipper has retired and the Lions are awaiting a decision from left tackle Taylor Decker about his football future. But no matter what Decker decides is best for him, the Lions would do well to approach the offseason with a change of mindset.
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Let’s get into it in our latest Detroit Lions positional summary and offseason preview.
Previously:
Lions 2025 Recap: Offensive Tackles
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Taylor Decker Stats (14 games):
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67.9 PFF Grade: 40th of 86 qualified OTs
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69.5 Passing Block Rating – 39th out of 82
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Run Blocking Grade 62.1: 56th of 86
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Penei Sewell Statistics (16 matches):
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95.1 PFF Grade: First of 86 qualified OTs
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80.3 passing block rating: 8th out of 82
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96.8 Run Blocking Rating – First of 86
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Dan Skipper (12 games, 5 starts):
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50.5 PFF Grade: Did not qualify
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Penei Sewell continued to have an incredible season in 2025, despite believing it wasn’t his best year. He has won the First-Team All Pro award once again and is nominated for the inaugural Protector of the Year award, which will be announced later this week.
Decker battled a shoulder injury throughout the season. It required him to miss most practices each week and an intense rehab and prehabilitation routine. Despite the physical problems, Decker had an above-average season. He had his lowest-rated season since 2017 and his worst pass-blocking grade (69.5), but that speaks more to how underrated he’s been. He is still very capable of being a solid, reliable left tackle in this league.
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But throughout the season, Decker spoke about his thoughts on retirement. The shoulder injury clearly took its toll on him mentally, as he reflected on his future with his family. At the end of the year, Decker made it clear that if he made the decision immediately, his football career would be over. But he wanted to step away from the emotional moment, gather more information about his health and make a decision about his future later.
“If that’s what my future is going to be, to keep playing, that’s not something I’m willing to do. Because I’m not willing to put my family through this,” 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 circumstances? Maybe. But I need to go through that process.”
Manu did not make the leap to being OT3, as some expected. Instead, he battled injuries and missed the final three months of the season with a knee injury.
2026 for prospects
Currently under contract:
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Penei Sewell (signed through 2029)
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Pending free agents:
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Jamarco Jones (no restrictions)
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Chris Hubbard (street free agent, can sign now)
While the Lions could, in theory, 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 underprepared at the center position after Frank Ragnow retired after the draft. They may have been able to mix things up with Graham Glasgow at center and rookie Tate Ratledge at right guard, but the interior offensive line couldn’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 a minimum, 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 can’t just wait to see if their preferred option falls to them in the draft. Instead of aggressively moving up to draft their guy and wasting valuable draft resources, or risk seeing him fall into their hands, they need a Plan A to ensure their draft flexibility.
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To be fair, finding a starting tackle in free agency is no easy task. Teams generally don’t let big starting offensive linemen leave for no reason in free agency. But there are some intriguing players who certainly have some questions, including Jonah Williams, Rob Havenstein and Jermaine Eluemunor.
If Decker ends up staying, yes, it will be a little strange to have another starter on the roster, especially one who signed with the expectation of being a starter. But for the Lions, it still makes sense to have that contingency plan and have another solid depth option with Skipper now retired. In short, offensive tackle should be a high priority regardless of Decker’s decision.