ALLEN PARK — Dan Skipper’s role in Frank Ragnow’s football career began during a recruiting visit to Arkansas.
As a freshman, Skipper hosted Ragnow for his official visit in November 2013 before he eventually committed to the program and became one of Arkansas’ greatest offensive linemen of all time.
Skipper played alongside him with the Razorbacks and the O-line duo have had the opportunity to play with each other numerous times as members of the Detroit Lions.
So following Ragnow’s sudden retirement from the NFL, it was only fitting Skipper would get to be among the first to share his thoughts on the four-time Pro Bowler.
“I don’t know if you can think of a better pro,” Skipper told reporters after OTAs on Thursday. “He played through more than most folks will ever know. What he’s meant to this organization, it’s hard to put into words.
“On the field, off the field, he’s been a vital part of this turnaround. My hats off to him and I hope he’s seen when he wants to be seen and heard from when he wants to be heard from.”
Although Skipper hasn’t had the opportunity to speak with Ragnow since his announcement on Monday, the three-time Second-team All-Pro center informed his teammates via text before a public social media post.
Ragnow’s retirement wasn’t as much of a surprise to those within the organization, who said they knew that question was on his mind going into the offseason.
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown told reporters he spoke with Ragnow in the locker room on the final day of the 2024 season and told the former first-round draft pick he was proud of him and would support whatever decision he made.
“Selfishly, we would’ve loved for him to come back and play 10 more seasons, but we knew that wasn’t going to happen,” St. Brown said. “He decided to hang them up, which as a player I respect because I know how tough it is and how much you love the game and how much he poured into it...
“You’d like to think he’s replaceable, but he’s probably irreplaceable.”
Ragnow’s held down the spot at center for 100 games between the regular season and playoffs over the past seven seasons.
Despite dealing with a plethora of lower-body injuries, Ragnow only missed four games over the last three seasons.
While the Lions spent time honoring and praising Ragnow for what he gave to the organization and its ascent in recent years, there’s already a clear desire to move forward and see who will try and fill his place on and off field.
“It’s a tremendous loss, you can’t minimize that loss,” Skipper said. “It puts a huge load on everyone else because he shows up every day, he’s the first one in the film room knocking down the door, figuring out the game plan, all the weird looks, the weird calls that we fall into; that’s on someone else.
“Collectively as a unit, whoever is playing center, they’ve gotta do that.”
As Detroit heads into their final down time before the new season swings into full gear, trying to replace the irreplaceable has become a necessity.
The Lions made a push for young interior O-line prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft by picking the likes of Tate Ratledge and Miles Frazier and recently signed Trystan Colon-Castillo, giving them plenty of options to try and find the best fit among the group.
“(Ragnow will) be missed. But this train goes on,” coach Dan Campbell said. “Train rolls on and it’s the next man up.”