The Detroit Lions have a huge contest against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day, which is vital for the divisional race. One of the biggest areas that has taken a step back was the offensive line, and that led to a massive change on Wednesday that the Motor City is more than thankful for.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport revealed that center Frank Ragnow is coming out of retirement, adding that the veteran Ragnow "sounds like he's in shape and ready to roll sooner, rather than later." The three-time All-Pro blocker announced his retirement in June after seven seasons with the franchise, and it's clear that he has unfinished business.
While Ragnow's return is great news for the offensive line and quarterback Jared Goff, it's a curveball in the future plans for Tate Ratledge.
Frank Ragnow’s Return May Change Tate Ratledge’s Future Plans
When Ragnow retired in June, it was a surprise that created a hole along the trenches. That forced Graham Glasgow to slide over from guard to center, and the Lions also added Ratledge via the NFL draft. Although he was a guard throughout his college career at the University of Georgia, the Lions were cross-training him at both guard and center this offseason.
Lions offensive line coach and run game coordinator Hank Fraley believes it's important for his offensive linemen to be able to play several spots, and that's what they did with Ratledge, even though he's only played guard in his career. That trend has continued in the NFL, with Ratledge playing all 11 games thus far at right guard, where he's been solid.
According to Pro Football Focus, he owns a 67.5 overall grade (26th among 81 graded guards) and a 72.9 run-block grade (15th among 81 graded guards). He still needs to improve as a pass blocker, logging a 46.8 pass-blocking grade (72nd among 81 graded guards). Nonetheless, he has held his own in the pros, but with Ragnow's return, it looks like he'll be sticking at guard for the foreseeable future.
While there's no confirmation, Ragnow's return has to extend longer than the 2025 season. Obviously, he isn't going to play against the Packers in Week 13, so that leaves five games remaining on the schedule. It's still massive to get a four-time Pro Bowler back in the building, but this return could extend into 2026 if he proves to have not missed a beat.
That would certainly leave Ratledge at guard, especially since when Ragnow retired, they decided to roll with Glasgow at center anyway. You can never say never, but the odds that Ratledge plays center have decreased with Ragnow's return, and that could end up being the right move, as that's the only position he's played in his career.