Detroit Lions guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai is moving past his foot injury.
He is also moving past his underwhelming first season with the Lions, after former general manager Bob Quinn signed him to a five-year, $50 million contract in March 2020. Vaitai was supposed to play right tackle, but after missing the first two games of the season, he ended up at right guard.
He’ll likely stay there this season, too.
“At guard everything happens quicker,” Vaitai, 28, said Friday. “I don’t kick as much. Got help on both sides. I’ve got the center, the right tackle. It’s just different rules. Different rules, different terminology between the center and guard. But it’s one of those things, if the coach needs you, I’ll be there to step up and help the team win.”
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Vaitai started 10 games in 2020 but ended up on injured reserve in November because his foot injury had lingered. He didn’t play in a Week 10 win over Washington and missed the second half of a Week 11 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
The 6-foot-6, 325-pound lineman didn’t trust the durability of his now-healthy foot until OTA practices in May and June.
“Obviously, it was unfortunate last year,” Vaitai said. “I tried to give it all to help the team win. But now, looking forward, we got Penei (Sewell) and guys coming back from last year. It’s pretty good. I’m super-excited.”
As the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Sewell is tasked with solidifying his spot at right tackle. The offensive line is expected to be a strength this season with Vaitai and Sewell, plus Taylor Decker at left tackle, Frank Ragnow at center and Jonah Jackson at left guard.
And Vaitai, who learned from nine-time Pro Bowler Jason Peters when he entered the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016, is already impressed with Sewell’s work ethic, talent and maturity. He doesn’t want Sewell to “freak out” in his rookie year, so he is sharing as much advice as possible.
“I feel like he’s grown a lot in the last couple weeks,” Vaitai said. “Getting to work with him, sometimes I forget he’s a rookie, just with the way he carries himself, which is pretty good.”
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Regarding Sewell, Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley added: “I think he’s progressing well. We’ll see when we get to live action against other opponents. He’s learning every day. He’s hungry. He stays hungry. He’s a very humbled young man. I’ve had extensive background with him when I was at UCLA, so I’ve seen him since he was a high school kid until now. He’s working hard. He’s got great guys going against him every day in one-on-ones. … Everybody that he’s going against is definitely testing him and making him better, and he’s making those guys better.”
For the Lions to be a force up front, they’ll need more than Sewell. The key contributors on the offensive line must be at their best, including a rejuvenated Vaitai.
“You just push through things,” Fraley said. “This is the best you’re going to feel until March. It doesn’t matter (if it’s a) foot, thumb, finger. Look at me, I jammed my finger taking snaps. You just push through it. It doesn’t matter. It’s a mindset a lot of times.
“The linemen that we’ve got in here, it’s just push through those things. You’re never going to feel right until the end of the season.”
Evan Petzold is a sports reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.
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