Following Frank Ragnow's unexpected retirement and Taylor Decker's departure, the Detroit Lions head into the 2026 season with a revamped offensive line primarily made up of mostly unproven players and a pair of newcomers.
All-Pro Penei Sewell moves to left tackle, while Christian Mahogany holds down the left guard position, offseason acquisition Cade Mays takes over at center, Tate Ratledge faces massive expectations at right guard, and first-round pick Blake Miller slides in at right tackle.
Although head coach Dan Campbell is not worried about the offensive line changes, Super Bowl champion and 18-year NFL veteran Lomas Brown, who spent 11 seasons in the Motor City, is not as optimistic about the young group.
"I'm nervous, I'm not gonna lie," Brown said, per the Detroit Free Press. "... I just don't know with the guys that we lost, if we filled them with the necessary guys we need to take us to that next level, or even maintain it."
While the offensive line gave up a career-high 38 sacks to quarterback Jared Goff last season, this was one of the league's best units not that long ago. Now with Ragnow and Decker gone and a mostly young and inexperienced group up front, those concerns are certainly warranted coming off a disappointing 2025 season.
Lions still face some offensive line concerns
Instead of focusing on playmakers and other areas of need, a lot of Detroit's attention needed to be paid to its offensive line and making sure the right pieces were in place to overcome the recent departures. One of those was Mays, who will be a huge X-factor for the Lions this season.
Mays signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the Lions in free agency and will be key to any progress that is made. Ragnow had built a lot of chemistry with Goff, so it is crucial that Mays develops a strong relationship with his QB. He has only made 20 starts at center and was average at his position last season, receiving the 24th-ranked overall grade (62.4) from Pro Football Focus out of 40 qualified centers.
Sewell has spent the majority of his career on the right side of the offensive line, but he did make eight starts on the left side as a rookie when Decker was injured, so it makes sense that he would switch positions as Miller gets up to speed in the NFL at a position he is familiar with.
Not to mention, Sewell is quick on his feet and athletic for his size, so that will likely not be as big a change as it initially might seem.
Ratledge excelled against the run with a 73.5 run-blocking grade that ranked 12th in the entire league, so that alone should provide some confidence with Jahmyr Gibbs taking on a larger role now that David Montgomery is with the Houston Texans.
With that said, he allowed 24 total pressures, nine QB hits, two sacks, and committed seven penalties, some areas he must work on with the rookie Miller joining him on the right side, and the potential for opposing teams to target him as a result.
The Lions did not make any significant changes at guard, so there is every reason to believe that a breakout season could be in store for Mahogany if he can turn the flashes he has shown into more consistency.
Behind the projected starters on the offensive line, there are serious depth concerns. Look no further than third-year tackle Giovanni Manu, who has been relatively nonexistent in a Lions uniform after not playing his rookie season and suffering a knee injury in his second season.
There is certainly some potential in this new-look offensive line. However, it is fair to question how it will perform as a largely unproven unit that is still looking to make a name for itself amid the recent departures.
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