New NFL award will finally give Lions' Penei Sewell the shine he deserves

Penei Sewell is the Detroit Lions' top offensive tackle. The 24 year old O-lineman has completely helped to re-tool the Lions' offense and, specifically, their run game. He was a huge reason why Detroit finished up the 2024 regular season with 2,488 total rushing yards and 146.4 rushing yards per game, which was good for 6th in the league in both categories.

Sewell, however, doesn't really get the love he deserves - as is the case for many other offensive linemen in the league who do a lot of the dirty work with nothing to show for it. Ask players like Buffalo Bills tackle Dion Dawkins, who spearheaded the movement to land O-linemen a new award that will finally allow players like him and Sewell to get love from the league they fight so hard for.

The "Protector of the Year" award, announced on Wednesday after owners met to vote on a variety of issues like the tush push and onside kicks, will be introduced for the 2025 season to honor the best offensive lineman in the NFL.

Sewell finally has a shot to win something to prove his impact isn't just intangible - it's award worthy.

Sewell has new NFL honor on lock

Sewell finished up the 2024 season with a run blocking grade of 90.5 according to PFF, which was good for 2nd amongst all tackles in the NFL. He ended the season with an overall grade of 87.5, too, which was 4th overall for PFF last season. He'll have stiff competition between Dawkins, Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata, and Los Angeles Chargers tackle Rashawn Slater, among others.

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However, with Jahmyr Gibbs and a now-healthy David Montgomery back on the field, it's hard to imagine how Sewell will lose this award blocking for those two playmakers. Additionally, with a big year coming up for Jameson Williams, Sewell will likely be blocking for a motivated Jared Goff who will be looking to target Williams downfield often.

Sewell has the benefit of playing for a highly rated offense, which will always make him look great by contrast. But, anyone who watched Sewell in 2024 knows that his impact wasn't just made because of Goff and others making plays - it came from his ability to be a rock on the line and embarrass opposing teams' defenders with pancakes galore.

Several Lions will be up for awards after 2025 if things go as planned for them - and finally, Sewell can be a top candidate for one after years of hoping he'd sneak into the Offensive Player of the Year conversation, somehow.

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