Tyrell Crosby has been friends with Penei Sewell dating back to Sewell’s recruitment at Oregon. Crosby was born in Utah, where Sewell grew up, so the two had a natural connection before Sewell replaced Crosby on the Ducks’ offensive line.
Crosby said Tuesday he was happy to see the Detroit Lions make Sewell the No. 7 pick in April’s NFL draft, even though six weeks later it has become clear that Sewell’s arrival will pave the way for Crosby’s eventual departure from Detroit.
Crosby, in his first public comments since the draft, said on Day 1 of mandatory minicamp he is “doing my own thing” and has “never even thought about” a trade, but he did not answer directly when asked if he wants to be shipped out of town.
“That’s really like, I have no true control over that so my opinion right now is I’m going to take every day at a time and just go out and compete,” he said.
An 11-game starter for the Lions last season, Crosby was ticketed for right tackle duties this fall prior to Sewell’s arrival.
Sewell took first first-team reps at the position Tuesday and is expected to start there when the Lions open the season Sept. 12 against the San Francisco 49ers. Lions coach Dan Campbell said last week Sewell needs as many reps at right tackle as possible as he transitions from left tackle, the position he played at Oregon.
“That’s really the best thing that he can possibly have right now,” Campbell said. “It’s just the more that he does it and the more comfortable he gets in that stance and working on that side and flipping things in his head, the better he’ll get. And so, I have all confidence that he’ll be able to make that transition.”
With Jonah Jackson and Halapoulivaati Vaitai returning at guard, Pro Bowler Frank Ragnow at center and Taylor Decker entrenched at left tackle, Crosby projects as the Lions’ swing tackle this fall.
And it’s value as a sixth lineman — he has started games at both tackle positions and likely will be the Lions’ top backup interior lineman this fall — that has complicated his desire to be traded to another team.
While Crosby is in the final year of his rookie contract and would stand to benefit from joining a team that would use him as a starter, the Lions are in no rush to give up their most valuable backup and potentially leave the biggest strength on their team shorthanded.
Crosby, one of two prominent veterans (along with linebacker Jamie Collins, whose girlfriend recently gave birth to the couple’s first son) who stayed away from the team during both weeks of voluntary Organized Team Activities, insisted Tuesday that decision was about being around family as much as anything.
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He said he has not heard “much” from the Lions’ front office yet about his future, and is “just here excited and thankful to be here and just compete.”
“Nothing’s set in stone and for me I really love to go out and compete,” Crosby said. “Since I got here, since they first drafted me in 2018, whatever my role is for the team I’ve gone out and just did to the best of my ability and every day I’m going to go in and compete.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.