Competition is the name of the game heading into Detroit Lions training camp later this month, but for the reworked O-line, much of the attention will be on the left guard position.
There's still one other competition on the O-line that hasn't been officially settled -- even though most are confident it already is.
In his pre-training camp roster preview, Detroit Lions writer Tim Twentyman highlights numerous key storylines and areas to look out for later this month and into August. For his "Position battle to watch," it wasn't the LG position or the CB position after Terrion Arnold's release. It was the right tackle position.
"The Lions gave (Larry) Borom and (Blake) Miller reps with the first-team offense at right tackle over the course of OTAs and minicamp. Now the pads come on and the competition really ramps up for the veteran and the rookie.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell has been clear it's an open competition and the best player will line up at right tackle Week 1 against New Orleans. Both Borom and Miller will see their fair share of Hutchinson opposite them in camp and those matchups will be a great measuring stick."
It stands to reason why there's high expectations surrounding rookie Blake Miller. He was selected in the first round of the 2026 draft, and his selection confirmed Penei Sewell's move over to the left side of the line.
For a team coming off of a disappointing season, the Lions needed a day one starter in the first round of the draft. For Miller to not start right away would add to the growing frustration toward general manager Brad Holmes after one of his recent drafts have been deemed a near-complete failure, possibly setting the team back in their pursuit of a Super Bowl.
Miller is also experienced, having started 54 games in college. After the draft, head coach Dan Campbell cited that experience as something the team liked about Miller along with his "steadiness" and "consistency," adding, "good production week in and week out for not just one year, multiple years."
If anyone can be ready to start at RT on day one, it's the experienced Miller. Still, he'll have to earn the job.
The competition at right tackle is on
In that same interview, Campbell did also say that Miller was someone "who can come in and compete, and help us with the O-line." The opportune word being "compete."
Who's that competition? That would be free agent signing Larry Borom, the Michigan-native who played last season with the Miami Dolphins. Lions fans may remember Borom as the unfortunate Dolphins tackle who kept getting beat by EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, paving way for the "Hutch Rule" during their joint practice. The "Hutch Rule" being that the Lions and Dolphins would continue out their play even after Hutchinson won his battle and got to the quarterback.
That understandably wouldn't give Lions fans confidence in Borom's ability, but having a full training camp against Hutchinson could be fantastic for him. As Twentyman notes, Borom has been getting that opportunity to line up against Hutchinson just as Miller has.
On top of that, the "Hutch Rule" era Borom was not the same Borom Dolphins fans saw throughout last season, either. Borom's pass-blocking improved over the course of the season. Per Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit, Borom had the fifth best pass-blocking grade on Pro Football Focus (82.1) from Week 5 onward, among tackles with at least 200 snaps.
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If that version of Borom shows up to training camp, and handles Hutchinson much better, then Campbell will have no choice but to strongly consider starting him to begin the season. Let the veteran play, while easing the rookie in. Rookie OTs don't typically get off the strong starts due to a learning curve, as Lions legend Lomas Brown said last month amid his uncertainty toward the O-line heading into 2025.
But at the same time, pass-blocking was one of Miller's strong suits, with an 81.6 grade in his final season at Clemson. Miller also had a stronger run grade (72.4) than Borom (54.4).
That balance should affirm Miller's status as the favorite for the starting job, but college grades don't always translate to NFL play. That's what the Lions hope to figure out one way or another once training camp begins when rookies report on July 25.
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