The Detroit Lions have been quite busy to start this week as they continue to retool their roster for the 2026 season. On Monday morning, the Lions sent David Montgomery in a trade to the Houston Texans in exchange for two draft picks and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs.
The addition of Scruggs didn’t make much sense at the time, given that the Lions are pretty set with their starting offensive line.
However, several hours later, Detroit announced that it had released veteran offensive lineman Graham Glasgow. The Glasgow release wasn’t a surprise, as it's been speculated that he could be a cap casualty.
That said, the Lions now have no starting center for the 2026 season. They could sign a free agent such as Cade Mays to fill the void, draft a replacement, or move Tate Ratledge from right guard to center, which could be the route Detroit ultimately takes. But the Lions could also take the chance on putting Scruggs at center.
Juice Scruggs Could Become Graham Glasgow’s Replacement at Center
Now, the idea of starting the 26-year-old Scruggs at center doesn’t sound appealing, especially since he’s not a good starting interior lineman, as he’s struggled with injury and inconsistent play.
This past season in Houston, Scruggs recorded a dismal 45.0 overall grade and gave up 11 pressures across 202 pass-blocking snaps. However, Scruggs’ pass blocking grade was 57.7, which is better than his run blocking grade at 40.5, per Pro Football Focus.
However, he only started in one game despite appearing in all 17 games after making 13 starts in 2024. Speaking of the 2024 season, that is when Scruggs got a chance to play a ton of snaps at center (568) and actually showed some promise.
According to PFF, Scruggs produced a 64.4 run blocking grade and a 62.1 pass blocking grade. He was penalized six times, but only gave up five sacks and pressure on 4.5% of opportunities. During that year, he also played 250 snaps at left guard and 126 snaps at right guard.
As for Glasgow, his numbers and grades this past season aren’t spectacular, and one could say that Scruggs’s limited time at center is worth exploring more. The veteran lineman posted a 61.3 pass blocking grade and 54.3 run blocking grade.
The 33-year-old offensive lineman allowed pressures on 7.4% of opportunities, which is not great. Having said that, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell will have an intriguing decision to make in the coming weeks about his offensive line.
Whatever Campbell decides, whether it's Scruggs to center or Ratlege to center, it has to work out for this team to have success in 2026.