Allen Park — Detroit Lions offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby hasn’t been living under a rock. He’s relatively active on social media, particularly on Twitter, so of course he’s heard the rumors from last month that the team put him on the trading block after drafting Penei Sewell.
But Crosby, who was in attendance for the first day of mandatory minicamp after skipping the voluntary OTA practices the past couple weeks, is doing his best to block out the noise.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s impossible with how social media is to not see it, but I haven’t clicked on anything,” Crosby said Tuesday. “Really haven’t heard much from the front office or anything about it, so I’m just here excited and thankful to be here and just compete.”
According to Crosby, he hasn’t requested a trade. As he put it, it’s not something he’s even thought about. And the reason he opted out of the voluntary practices wasn’t related to his status with the team, but more about spending time with his family after a long season.
“Last year, I learned that you could do OTAs and work from wherever you’re at and I had a solid year last year,” he explained. “Pretty much had to miss my entire family throughout all of last season. That was the first time I haven’t had the opportunity to have like any family members at a home game. Missed my birthday, Thanksgiving, you know, all of that, so I just spent that time being with my family and just appreciating the loved ones.”
As for Sewell, Crosby isn’t upset by the addition, even if it ultimately costs him his starting job. That’s because the two are close friends, originally forging a bond growing up in Utah, before both went on to star at Oregon.
“For me, I took that moment as like — football is finite to me but friendships can last forever. He’s a great friend of mine, so I wasn’t even thinking anything football related,” Crosby said about his draft-day thoughts. “I was just so excited to see my friend, who I know has put in so much work, get the opportunity he deserved and get drafted in the first round. That’s a special feeling. I mean, I was a fifth-round guy, so I can’t fully relate to that, but just knowing that all his hard work paid off was so awesome for me to see as a friend.”
Assuming he sticks in Detroit, Crosby will likely be pushed back to the reserve role he began in each of his first three seasons. He would serve as the primary backup to both Sewell and left tackle Taylor Decker. As of now, the coaching staff hasn’t talked about testing the waters at guard, but Crosby would be open to it if asked.
“Nothing’s set in stone,” Crosby said. “For me, I really love to go out and compete. Since they first drafted me in 2018, whatever my role is for the team, I’ve gone out and just did to my best ability. Every day I’m going to go in and compete.”
As he noted, Crosby was selected in the fifth round in 2018. He’s appeared in 38 games for the Lions, including 18 starts. He’s entering the final year of his contract with the team.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers