As if the Detroit Lions didn’t have enough question marks along the offensive line already, the team now has another.
That added question mark comes from the expected release of left tackle Taylor Decker, who announced he has requested to be cut after recent contract talks (the Lions were looking for Decker to take a pay cut) didn’t go well.
That means the Lions will be in the market for an offensive tackle, but for which side of the offensive line remains to be seen. That’s because Detroit could opt to move right tackle Penei Sewell to the left side.
According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, an agent he spoke to said the Lions gave him the impression that Sewell would move to left tackle if Decker didn’t return for any reason.
From there, the agent said the Lions would sign a right tackle in free agency.
Rasheed Walker, who started 16 games for the Green Bay Packers last season, is considered the best left tackle on the market, though one agent who met with the Lions during the combine before Decker announced he was coming back said the team gave him the impression it would move Sewell to left tackle and sign a right tackle in free agency if Decker retired.
If the plan is to move Sewell to left tackle, the Lions could have interest in the free agent right tackles of the New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals.
Those four players are Jermaine Eluemunor, Braden Smith, Jawaan Taylor and Jonah Williams, respectively.
We can immediately say we want no part of Taylor and Williams for the Lions, as both struggled mightily in pass protection and run-blocking in 2025. Eluemunor and Smith are different stories.
Eluemunor left a lot to be desired in run-blocking last season after posting a Pro Football Focus grade of 55.1 in that area, but he surrendered four sacks and 19 pressures en route to a 76.7 in pass-blocking, which ranked 20th among tackles.
Smith was slightly better in run-blocking with a 58.0 over 13 games, but he fell just a bit short of Eluemunor in pass-blocking grade with a 71.9.
That run-blocking grade was an outlier, though, as Smith has typically been in the 70-90 range throughout his career.
Given what we saw out of each player last season, they should come at similar prices, but we like Smith just a bit more because he’s a few years younger and offers higher upside if he can rebound and play better in 2026.
We fully expect the Lions to address the position at some point in the 2026 NFL draft, but Detroit must secure a veteran starting option beforehand just in case things do not work out in April.
