Starting off the week with a bad case of the Mondays…
Lions head coach Dan Campbell led off his pre-practice press conference on a wet Monday morning with the devastating news that center Cade Mays will be out for a significant amount of time with a wrist injury. A follow-up question didn’t produce a defined timeline, but Campbell confidently stated Mays “will be back for the playoffs.”
It’s a major blow for the Lions. Mays was the team’s primary free agent acquisition on offense this offseason, a focused choice who seized the starting center gig the moment the ink dried on his Detroit contract. The former Panther looked the part in camp, notably in the run game, with his physicality and quick initial steps. He was clearly an upgrade over what veteran Graham Glasgow offered the Lions in 2025.
Now the middle of the Lions offensive line is in flux once again. Campbell indicated that Seth McLaughlin will take over the bulk of the first-team reps, at least for Monday’s practice. McLaughlin was signed this offseason after missing his rookie campaign with an Achilles injury that dated back to his final college season at Ohio State. The Bengals waived him after the season and Detroit pounced on the former Rimington Award winner (full disclosure-I’m a voter for that award and I voted for McLaughlin).
Veteran Juice Scruggs, acquired from the Texans in the David Montgomery trade, has starting experience in the pivot. Alas, Scruggs is currently sidelined with a soft tissue injury that is not expected to keep the former second-round pick out for long. Scruggs played his best football with the Texans at center in the 2024 campaign. Context is important here; Scruggs was still one of the lowest-graded centers by PFF during that stint.
Campbell also mentioned veteran Michael Niese as someone who will get more center reps. Niese has been with the Lions since 2023 as a depth interior player. His natural position is center.
Additionally, starting right guard Tate Ratledge will get individual reps (not team reps) at center, per Campbell. Remember back to the spring of 2025 and there was some thought that Ratledge would get a shot at the center vacancy created when Frank Ragnow abruptly left the team. That plan was nixed after OTAs and Ratledge took off as a rookie right guard.
Mays’ injury is a huge blow to the progress of the remade offensive line. Ratledge and Christian Mahogany, who missed significant time in 2025 with an injury, are the only returning starters in the same positions. The Lions moved All-Pro tackle Penei Sewell from the right to the left and installed first-round rookie Blake Miller at right tackle. Mays was expected to solidify the middle and offer a veteran presence between the young guards. Now that plan is on hold until at least sometime into the regular season.
