The vibes around the Detroit Lions aren't what fans wanted to see and hear about. They lost to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day, which is never ideal, considering that it was an NFC North battle.
It continued down a bad path as both the Cowboys and Bears won their respective Week 13 games. Unfortunately, the bad news kept rolling in to start the weekend as the Lions announced on Saturday that center Frank Ragnow won't be able to return to the team.
In a statement released by the team, the Lions wrote, "Frank Ragnow reported to our facility yesterday and went through the normal process of meetings. Unfortunately, during the routine meeting with our medical team, Frank failed his physical. The medical exam revealed a Grade 3 hamstring strain that will keep him from participating for the remainder of the regular season. For that reason, Frank will not be rejoining the Lions."
Frank Ragnow’s Makes Lions' Bad Situation Even Worse
This is a significant shake-up from what the Lions expected to happen down the stretch. On Nov. 26, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport revealed that Ragnow was coming out of retirement to rejoin Detroit's roster and planned to play sooner rather than later.
Unfortunately, this injury put an end to all of that, which isn't ideal for a team that needs a spark. The offensive line's play has taken a dip in 2025, in large part due to Ragnow's retirement. They had Graham Glasgow take over for him, but he's been inconsistent.
Glasgow is even dealing with a knee injury that forced him to miss the game against the Packers this week. Many fans and people inside the building were excited to get Ragnow back in the fold, with the hope that he could help stabilize the offensive line. And instead of that happening, they have to rely on the players they have in the building, who now know that they weren't thought of highly enough to prevent Brad Holmes from talking Ragnow out of retirement.
With Glasgow nursing this knee injury, the Lions will have to lean on Trystan Colon at center. The desire to get Ragnow back in the building shows how Detroit felt about the position and offensive line as a whole, but their former All-Pro won't be suiting up for them.
This news, in combination with the Amon-Ra St-Brown injury, has made the last few days unenjoyable for Detroit. The Lions have their work cut out for them if they want to make the postseason, but it won't be easy.
And not having Ragnow return throws yet another wrench into their plan. It's been an up-and-down campaign in the Motor City for the Lions, but this week in particular has been terrible for Detroit.