Frank Ragnow Breaks Down the Penei Sewell Switch
The biggest storyline heading into the 2026 season is moving Penei Sewell from right tackle to left tackle. And yes, I know what you’re thinking — we’re asking our All-Pro to flip sides because that’s what this franchise does. But before you spiral into familiar doom, let’s hear from someone who actually knows what he’s talking about.
Frank Ragnow weighed in on the move at his fourth annual Rags Remembered skeet shoot event, and his take is about as reassuring as you can get from a former Lions center who spent years watching Sewell dominate from the right side.
“It’s extremely difficult, especially when you know he had been playing right for a while,” Ragnow said. “There’s so much muscle memory, there’s so much balance and weight, this position that you have to kind of, I guess, reteach yourself, but it’s Penei Sewell. So I’m not too worried about it.”
That last part — “but it’s Penei Sewell” — got laughs from everyone around. Because that’s really the whole point here, isn’t it?
This Isn’t Exactly Uncharted Territory
Here’s the thing that should calm your nerves: Sewell has done this before. He played left tackle for the first eight games of his NFL career while Taylor Decker was hurt. He did just fine then, and he’s gotten significantly better since.
Beyond that, he played left tackle at Oregon. You know, the place where he dominated enough to get picked seventh overall. The guy knows how to play the position.
Look, if you asked Sewell to play power forward for the Pistons next season, he’d probably figure out how to do it well enough to start. That’s just who he is as a player.
The Blueprint Already Exists
Tristan Wirfs made this exact switch for Tampa Bay and didn’t miss a beat. Most of us think Sewell is better than Wirfs, so there’s your roadmap right there.
We’ll know if there’s any trouble with the move once camp starts, but honestly? We’re not expecting much drama here. This is Penei Sewell we’re talking about.
Are you buying into the Sewell-to-left-tackle move or are you already bracing for chaos? Let me know in the comments below.
Frank’s right, this is Penei we’re talking about. The dude is just on another level athletically and mentally. If anyone can make this switch look easy it’s him, and honestly I’m excited to see him lock down the left side for us.
I mean I get why they’re moving him, but I need to see it happen before I’m fully convinced it’s gonna work. Don’t get me wrong, Holmes and Campbell know what they’re doing, but flipping an All-Pro is a big ask no matter how talented the guy is.
You know what, the fact that we’re even having this conversation as Lions fans without total panic says something good about where this organization is at. In the old days we’d be freaking out about a move like this, but Campbell and Holmes have earned enough trust that I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on it.
Ragnow saying “it’s Penei Sewell” is all the reassurance I need honestly. He knows these guys inside and out and if he’s not worried then neither am I. This team is built different and Sewell is gonna prove it.