The next installment in our training camp preview series looks at the Lions’ offensive tackles.
In this installment of our Detroit Lions 2025 training camp preview series, we examine the Lions’ offensive tackles, speculate on current and future roles, and discuss how many players from this group could make the 53-man roster.
Previous training camp previews:
- QB: Can Hendon Hooker stick at QB2?
- RB: Will there be any changes to the room?
- WR: Loaded with depth options and youth
- TE: Who will win the TE3 job?
Setting the table
The Lions’ starters are well established with Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Decker and All-Pro/Pro Bowl right tackle Penei Sewell, but there’s room for growth amongst their reserves.
In 2024, Dan Skipper filled the OT3 and OL6 roles, starting three games (Weeks 10, 13, and 14) for Decker at left tackle, but finding the field in every game in six offensive linemen sets. Colby Sorsdal switched back to right tackle (his college position) as the Lions’ OT4, but he was only active in three games and only found the field on special teams. Giovanni Manu filled out the tackle room as OT5 but was inactive every game in what was widely regarded as a developmental year. Jamarco Jones spent the season on the practice squad, but he was called up for two of Decker’s injury games, playing four offensive snaps. Lastly, Connor Galvin, who was injured in training camp, spent the season on injured reserve.
Sewell, Decker, Sorsdal, and Manu all entered 2025 under contract, and the Lions wasted little time re-signing Skipper to a one-year deal and Jamarco Jones to a futures deal . Despite being an exclusive rights free agent, the Lions did not tender an offer to Galvin and allowed him to enter free agency. After returning their top six tackles, Detroit did not add any tackles from outside the organization.
Roster construction
Under the Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell regime, the Lions have consistently added offensive linemen as the season progresses. While they typically begin each season with eight to 10 offensive linemen, they’ve finished with 10 or 11 on the active roster.
Let’s take a look at what they’ve done at offensive tackle in the previous four seasons:
- 2021: Opened with three offensive tackles (Decker, Sewell, and Matt Nelson), but finished with four (Will Holden).
- 2022: Opened with three offensive tackles (Decker, Sewell, and Matt Nelson), but finished with four (Dan Skipper).
- 2023: Opened with three offensive tackles (Decker, Sewell, and Matt Nelson), but finished with four (Dan Skipper).
- 2024: Opened and finished with five tackles (Decker, Sewell, Skipper, Sorsdal, and Manu).
The battleground
With starters established, the Lions’ reserves will be battling it out for roster roles, and…
All eyes will be on Giovanni Manu
The Lions traded a future third-round pick in order to select Manu in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft . They did this with the anticipation that he would develop into a contributing player along their offensive line, based on his natural talents and athleticism, while also knowing that he was a project player who would take time to develop.
Despite checking in at 6-foot-7 1⁄2 and 352 pounds, Manu looked like a baby deer trying to find his legs throughout training camp. However, underneath the shakiness and pressure from on-the-job learning, you could see flashes of Manu’s upside in his movement. He glides for a big man and has Sewell-like explosion under the surface, but the question most analysts left camp with was: Will he ever be able to realize his potential?
Once the regular season begins, the media are prohibited from attending practice beyond the initial warmups, and as a result, the ability to see Manu’s progress was halted. However, multiple Lions coaches have seen dramatic improvement in Manu’s development and have shared that publicly.
For example, here’s an excerpt from offensive line coach Hank Fraley, via Justin Rogers from Detroit Football Network :
“I liked where he ended last year, where he was with his play, where his demeanor was, where he really was, assignment-wise. He really did a good job, and he grew every day.”
And here’s assistant offensive line coach Steve Oliver, also from Rogers:
“I can’t pinpoint one specific thing (where Mau’s improved) because he’s a more confident, totally transformed player. You see the strength when he gets hold of guys, plus the feet and the athletic ability.”
Additionally, here’s Lions’ general manager Brad Holmes discussing Manu’s progress:
“If you’ve watched the film of Gio in OTAs and you watched the film of Gio in practice, I mean, it literally is night and day.”
To keep his developmental momentum rolling, Manu has been training this offseason with Decker at LeCharles Bentley’s AMDG Performance Center in hopes of setting himself up for a Year 2 jump .
Manu’s development will dictate the Lions’ reserve roles
If Manu has indeed taken “night and day” steps in his development, how far up the depth chart he climbs will dictate how the rest of the offensive tackle room plays out.
If Manu can show coaches he is reliable enough to seize snaps from Sorsdal and/or Jones, then he’d effectively assume the OT4 role and would eliminate the need to keep five tackles on the roster this season. That could be a massive deal on a loaded roster that will surely have some complex decisions when establishing the 53-man roster.
If Manu can usurp Skipper’s hold on the OT3 role, then a world of possibilities opens up for Detroit. If this happens, it’d be fair to contemplate other opportunities to get Manu on the field. Can he assume the OL6 role in big sets? Can he be cross-trained at guard and challenge for a starting role? When should he be considered a contender for a starting tackle role?
While it may seem like a far-fetched possibility that Manu can jump from OT5 to OT3 so quickly, it’s worth taking note that Manu was playing second-team left tackle during OTAs, with Skipper shifting over to right tackle. But will that carry over into training camp?
While Manu’s upside is appealing, and his progress is going to make headlines during training camp, don’t expect the Lions to rush his development haphazardly. Detroit has put a plan in place to help him improve, but how quickly that happens is up to Manu.