Detroit Lions star Penei Sewell is irreplaceable. He's the anchor of the club's offensive line, the best tackle in the league, a future Hall of Famer, and the list goes on.
Losing Sewell for any period of time this season (or ever) would be devastating, both in general and for the revamped O-line. That begs the uncomfortable question: Who is his backup? In a perfect world, we'll never know, but you can never be so sure, especially when it comes to the health of Lions players.
One under-the-radar name to be on the lookout for as training camp and preseason get underway is Devin Cochran.
Devin Cochran could shake up the Detroit Lions' OL battle in training camp
Cochran has been a member of the Lions' practice squad since joining them mere days before their Week 1 game last season, after an ankle injury to Jamarco Jones sidelined him for the season.
Prior to joining the Lions, Cochran played for the Cincinnati Bengals after signing with them as an undrafted free agent in 2022. Cochran didn't see main roster action until 2024, when he played nine games and logged one start. In total, he played 152 snaps on offense, along with 24 on special teams.
In that time, Pro Football Focus had Cochran allowing eight pressures and one sack, with a 50.8 pass-blocking grade and a 57.5 run-blocking grade. That may not seem all too inspiring, but compared to the Lions' likely other option at LT, Giovanni Manu, that 50.8 pass-blocking grade is a lot better than Manu's 17.5 score in his limited play.
READ MORE: One competition ahead of Lions training camp is not getting enough attention
Manu is the presumptive No. 2 LT heading into this season, given he was Taylor Decker's understudy last season. However, the Lions notably gave Manu reps at guard during organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp, signifying the team's uncertainty about his future as a tackle.
It's an opportunity that Cochran can't pass up. The backup LT spot appears wide open, and the 28-year-old may not get many more opportunities to secure a firm backup job. Something that, if he impresses enough, could eventually be parlayed into a starting job elsewhere.
Cochran has experience blocking for Lions star RB Jahmyr Gibbs
In the, hopefully extremely unlikely, scenario Cochran does start in place of Sewell this season for whatever reason, he'll come in already having experience blocking for electrifying running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
In college, Cochran spent three seasons at Vanderbilt before spending his final college season at Georgia Tech in 2021. That final season overlapped with Gibbs' time with the Yellow Jackets before the latter transferred to Alabama in 2022.
READ MORE: Every NFC North team's most burning question heading into training camp
Cochran started all 12 games with the Yellow Jackets, where he served as one of the team's captains for five of those games. With his help blocking at LT, Gibbs would go on to have 1,216 yards from scrimmage with six total touchdowns in a preview of what we would come to expect out of him in Detroit. Gibbs was named Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-ACC.
Fans are unlikely to see Cochran block for Gibbs anytime soon, if ever, but he's someone to keep an eye out for in the coming weeks as the Lions begin to lock in their O-line depth chart for 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on Google