The offseason exodus in Detroit continues as their starting center, Frank Ragnow, announced his retirement.
Despite only being 29, the four-time pro-bowler took to social media to announce that his time in the NFL had come to an end.
He stated, “These past couple of months have been very trying as I’ve come to the realization that my football journey is ending and I’m officially retiring from the NFL. I’ve tried to convince myself that I’m feeling good but I’m not and it’s time to prioritize my health and my families future.”
Playing Hurt
For the past couple of seasons, Ragnow has been playing through the pain with an inoperable toe injury. Last offseason there were rumours circulating about him potentially hanging up his boots but he decided to play one last year in the Motor City.
Ragnow is one of the few players on the current Detroit Lions that predates Dan Campbell, being drafted in 2018 under the ill-fated Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn regime. He was a standout on some poor rosters and he can at least retire following several successful years.
Clearly, this is not ideal for the Detroit Lions offence. They’ve already lost their offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and now they’ve lost one of their most experienced and talented players.
The Lions vaunted offensive line was a strength of the team, but their interior was already looking bare following the loss of Kevin Zeitler in free agency. Now, it’s looking like a potential weakness, which is especially concerning as Jared Goff’s performance is highly dependent on the protection in front of him.
Staying Prepared
This is a reality that Brad Holmes has prepared for as the offensive line has been heavily targeted in the past two drafts. Most notably they took guard Tate Ratledge out of Georgia with their second-round pick. He appears to be a potential direct replacement for Ragnow as Ratledge has been seen taking snaps at centre during OTA’s.
Alongside him they’ve taken Miles Frazier in this year's 5th round, Giovanni Manu in last year's 4th, and Christian Mahogany in last year's 6th. Out of the three, Mahogany is most likely to start this year as he performed well in limited snaps last season.
Veteran Graham Glasgow was potentially a cut candidate following last season's steep decline in performance. However, he does have experience playing centre, most recently in 2019 during Frank Ragnow's rookie season.
While Detroit may have been prepared it does not make this hurt any little. Although, every team that has lost an elite centre in the last 15 months has gone on to win the Superbowl. So who knows?