The Lions’ offensive line suffered a brutal blow when four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow retired last June. Ragnow hung it up a couple of weeks after his 29th birthday, but five months later, he staged a comeback bid in late November. That attempt never got off the ground, though, as a failed physical prevented Ragnow from rejoining the team this season.
A Grade 3 hamstring injury stopped Ragnow from potentially aiding the Lions during the stretch run. Detroit was 7-4 and firmly in the playoff race when Ragnow tried to come out of retirement. Now 8-8, the Lions will not follow up last year’s 15-win campaign with another postseason appearance.
As the eliminated Lions turn their attention toward next season, it appears they’ll continue to go without Ragnow (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
Asked if Ragnow will play in 2026, quarterback Jared Goff told WXYT-FM, “No, I don’t think that’s in the cards at all.”
While Goff plans to talk to Ragnow, he added, “I just don’t think his interest level is there.”
With Ragnow likely to remain in retirement, Birkett points to the center position as a potential offseason priority for the team. Ragnow was a 16-game starter during a masterful offensive display in 2024. The Lions led the league in scoring and finished second in total offense. Pro Football Focus regarded Ragnow as an important part of their success, ranking him as the league’s third-best center.
The Lions’ Ragnow-less offense still sits near the top of the league in scoring (third) and yardage (sixth) this season, but replacement Graham Glasgow has been far less effective than his predecessor. Over 14 games (13 starts), PFF places the 33-year-old’s performance 35th among 41 qualifying centers. He’s under contract next season for $6.5MM, but Glasgow’s “not expected back” at that salary, Birkett writes.
Glasgow earned his current deal – a three-year, $20MM pact – in March 2024. He was a starting guard at that point. Ragnow’s retirement led the Lions to move Glasgow to center, but it initially seemed the role would go to rookie Tate Ratledge. The second-rounder from Georgia has instead started all 16 of Detroit’s games at right guard, his college position. A first-team All-American in his final season with the Bulldogs, Ratledge now leads all Lions offensive players in snap share (98.8%) and ranks as PFF’s 22nd-best guard out of 80 qualifiers.
Although Ratledge has acquitted himself well as a professional guard, a Year 2 shift to center is “not off the table,” head coach Dan Campbell said (via Birkett). Whether the Lions commit to a position change for Ratledge will count among their key offseason decisions. If the Lions don’t go down that road, they could seek their next starting center on the open market (the Ravens’ Tyler Linderbaum is the premier pending free agent at the position) or in the draft.