Penei Sewell grew into a leader last season with the Lions, and now he's been voted a captain by his teammates.
"Definitely a high honor and I don’t take it lightly," Sewell said Tuesday. "Just because my teammates voted for me, it holds a different type of weight. I plan on embracing that role, just being myself and going from there."
Sewell is one of six player-elected captains for the Lions, joined by Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown on offense, Alex Anzalone and Charles Harris on defense and Jalen Reeves-Maybin on defense. The third-year right tackle is one of the anchors of Detroit's offensive line, the backbone of the team.
"There’s a lot of talent and great guys in the room, and I don’t hold it lightly," Sewell said. "Everybody was excited for me, everybody showed their love."
Sewell, 22, became more of a vocal leader last season, urged on by Goff. He first spoke up in the Lions' Week 13 route of the playoff-bound Jaguars, and continued to come out of his shell during Detroit's surge down the stretch.
He said Tuesday that "win or lose, it doesn’t affect my confidence in any way. I just go out there and just be myself and hopefully the guys will just follow what I’m trying to say."
As for the Lions' season-opener against the Chiefs, enough has already been said. Asked how excited he is to hit the field after months and months of talk, Sewell said, "I don’t wanna add more talk to it."
"That’s all I gotta say," said Sewell. "It’s time to go to work, and we’re going to go out there and do it."