Penei Sewell opened the first media-viewable week of 2026 OTAs at left tackle, and that was the clearest answer anywhere on the early Detroit Lions OTA depth chart. During the May 29 practice in Allen Park, the first offensive line grouped Sewell with Christian Mahogany, Cade Mays, Tate Ratledge, and Larry Borom, while Blake Miller also rotated at right tackle, according to the on-field alignments from Detroit’s first open OTA session.
That lineup gives the offense an early structure under new coordinator Drew Petzing. Sewell’s side looks defined for now, while the spot opposite him remains one of the most active competitions on the Detroit Lions OTA depth chart.
Sewell on the left is the biggest early clue
Detroit entered spring work with offensive line changes as one of the central roster questions. The first open practice gave an actual answer instead of a projection: Sewell worked on the left side with the top unit.
Mahogany at left guard, Mays at center, and Ratledge at right guard also give the interior a clear first look. For late May, that matters more than any depth-chart graphic because these are the combinations getting the first run through installation.
OTAs still come with limits. The league calendar for this phase allows 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 work, but no live contact, per the team’s OTA preview. Offensive line evaluation always changes once pads arrive, but the first-team alignment still shows how Detroit is building the front in June.
Right tackle is still open
Larry Borom got the first first-team look at right tackle on May 29. Blake Miller also took reps there, which kept the competition active from the start of open practices.
For the Detroit Lions OTA depth chart, that is the swing spot up front after one week. Sewell’s move appears to be in place, and the staff is still sorting out who fits best on the right edge of the line.
Petzing’s offense will need a stable answer there before training camp reps start carrying more weight. Protection communication and run-game timing both depend on how quickly that tackle battle narrows.
Tight end No. 2 has real movement
Tyler Conklin pushed himself into the conversation during the first week of OTAs. The early practice observations from May 29 identified him as a veteran depth piece who could challenge Brock Wright for the No. 2 tight end role behind Sam LaPorta.
LaPorta’s availability is part of why those reps matter right now. He was improving but not yet practicing during the first week of OTA media access, as reflected in injury updates from late May and the start of OTAs.
More snaps behind LaPorta create a real opening in spring work. Conklin taking advantage of those opportunities gives the staff something to measure before camp, especially if LaPorta’s return remains gradual.
Isaac TeSlaa is making a push at receiver
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams still headline the receiver group. Behind them, Isaac TeSlaa showed enough comfort in the offense during the first open practice to strengthen his case for a larger role, based on the Week 1 OTA observations from Allen Park.
That matters for 2026 OTAs because receiver usage in a new offense starts with alignment trust and assignment consistency. TeSlaa’s early work suggests he is firmly in the mix for prominent snaps rather than fighting just to stay on the back half of the rotation.
Detroit does not look like a team searching for its top two wideouts. The more useful question is who claims the next share of targets and situational snaps around them, and TeSlaa has entered that picture early.
Nickel corner looks like the busiest defensive competition
Roger McCreary got most of the first reps at nickel corner in the open OTA session. Avonte Maddox and Keith Abney II also worked inside, giving Detroit a three-man early rotation at one of the defense’s most used subpackage spots, according to the Week 1 practice report.
After Amik Robertson’s departure, that role carries more weight than a routine reserve job. Detroit is sorting through who can handle the inside coverage responsibilities while still fitting the run support demands of the position.
McCreary getting the first crack does not settle it. It does show who opened the week at the front of the line.
Injuries are shaping the secondary behind it
Terrion Arnold did not practice on May 29, and that opened outside corner reps for Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Rock Ya-Sin opposite D.J. Reed in the first visible OTA session. That is another reminder that the early June Detroit Lions OTA depth chart is still being built around availability as much as pure pecking order.
Safety remains incomplete too. Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph were both improving but not yet practicing during the first week of OTAs, based on the injury updates linked above from late May reporting and the opening OTA period.
Those absences keep several defensive alignments provisional. Open practices in May were treated as a low-contact evaluation period in Allen Park, which fits what the defense looked like during the first week: several live competitions, several temporary rotations, and no reason yet to treat the first rep as the final answer.
What to track next on the 2026 OTAs depth chart
The strongest takeaway after one week is still up front. Sewell’s move to left tackle is no longer a theory, and it is shaping the rest of the offensive line around him on the Detroit Lions OTA depth chart.
The next checkpoint is simple: whether Borom keeps the first-team right tackle reps or Miller starts taking more of them as OTA practices continue. If that rotation stays split into minicamp, the most important offensive line question on the Detroit Lions OTA depth chart will still be open going into training camp.
