Detroit Lions 2025 camp preview: Depth chart at OT hinges on Manu's development

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Over the next couple of weeks, leading into the start of training camp, we're going to take a position-by-position look at the Detroit Lions' roster.

We'll analyze the projected starting situation, highlight a key camp battle, explore a burning question, and set a statistical over/under for the upcoming season.

Today, we’ll be looking at the offensive tackles.

Who is on the roster?

Taylor Decker, Penei Sewell, Dan Skipper, Giovani Manu, Jamarco Jones, Colby Sorsdal, Miles Frazier

Starting lineup outlook

Detroit has enjoyed a great run of continuity at the bookends, with Decker and Sewell set to start their fifth season together in 2025.

Sewell needs no introduction. The first draft pick of general manager Brad Holmes' tenure, the lineman quickly emerged as a franchise cornerstone. He’s earned three Pro Bowl selections and twice been named a first-team All-Pro in his first four seasons.

The Lions got ahead of the curve, locking up Sewell with a long-term extension two years before his rookie contract expired. And to the surprise of no one, he's not resting on his early-career laurels. The 24-year-old captain spent the offseason in Detroit working with the team's strength staff, aiming to get bigger and stronger. That has to be a scary thought for the edge rushers on the Lions' docket this season.

As for Decker, he also earned an extension last offseason, pushing him closer to his goal of playing his entire career with the Lions. A first-round pick in 2016, he's held down the blindside since Day 1, starting 126 of a possible 148 games during his nine-year career.

Decker has consistently performed above average, both as a pass protector and run blocker. He's allowed a little more pressure and a few more sacks during the past couple of years, but that didn't prevent him from getting Pro Bowl recognition for the first time in his career in 2024.

Camp competition to watch

There will be a spotlight on Manu this offseason. How much has he developed a year after being drafted from the Canadian college football ranks? During his first training camp and preseason, he often looked overwhelmed. Still, behind-the-scenes reports toward the end of the season were encouraging. He followed that progress up by replicating Decker's offseason work with respected offensive line trainer LeCharles Bentley.

Will it be enough to push Skipper for the swing tackle job? Or could JaMarco Jones, who drew seven starts with the Seahawks between 2021 and 2023, force his way into the mix? That remains to be seen.

Skipper is your classic backup. He's good enough to serve as a stopgap in a pinch but not a threat to push for a starting job. He's been around this team for a long time, reaching folk hero status for his role in the infamous "reporting eligible" fiasco in Dallas a couple of years back.

Skipper started three games in place of Decker last season and held his own. Plus, Skipper adds value on game days as a third tight end in heavy packages. He's primarily in there for his blocking, but the Lions like to throw a pass his way every once in a while, including one that went for a touchdown last year, to keep the defense on its toes.

Ideally, the Lions would love for Manu to make a significant leap, earn the job, and be trending toward becoming a viable replacement for Decker in a year or two.

A burning question

There’s no bigger question at the position than Manu’s development, but since we addressed that, we’ll take a look a little further down the depth chart. Is this the end of the line for Sorsdal?

Immensely likable, the former fifth-round pick hasn’t clicked through two seasons as he’s bounced between guard and tackle. A strong contender for the swing job entering camp last season, Sorsdal was soundly beaten out by Skipper, resulting in the former being a healthy scratch in all but one game.

This offseason, the Lions are testing Sorsdal at center, trying to find a home for the William & Mary product. The addition of Frazier would seem to loom large over Sorsdal’s future. We think of Frazier as a guard because that’s what the rookie played at LSU over the past three seasons. However, before that, he was an offensive tackle for Florida Atlantic. Additionally, he was the third tackle on LSU's depth chart, ready to shift outside if a starter had gone down.

Setting an over/under

Sewell: 0.5 sacks allowed

Sewell is otherworldly when it comes to protecting the quarterback. In more than 1,400 protection snaps the past two years, he’s allowed just one sack each season.

Is this the year Sewell pitches a shutout? Would you bet against him?