“This is a big loss”: Mina Kimes spells trouble for Dan Campbell’s Lions after Frank Ragnow’s retirement

One of the most dominant offenses in the NFL over the past couple of seasons suffered a big blow on Monday. Frank Ragnow officially retired, with the Detroit Lions center stating:

“I’ve tried to convince myself that I’m feeling good, but I’m not, and it’s time to prioritize my health and my family’s future.”

While Ragnow had a successful NFL career, he suffered from a series of injuries in a relatively short period.

This news is a huge blow to the Lions’ offence, which was second in the 2024 regular season in terms of offensive yards per game (409.5).

“It’s massive. The Lions’ success over the last couple of years has really been inside out, starting with the offensive line and losing Ragnow, one of the best centers in football,” said ESPN analyst Mina Kimes at 0:05.

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"This is a big, big loss."

—@minakimes

on the Lions' offensive lineman Frank Ragnow's retirement

In just seven NFL campaigns, Ragnow made it to the Pro Bowl four times and was named a Second-team All-Pro on three of those occasions.

“There is going to be a lot of pressure on this new offensive line, and their new offensive coordinator has to figure all of this out, and it’s going to be quite a transition in Detroit, but this is a big loss,” Kimes added at 0:55.

The Lions were second in passing last season, averaging 263.2 yards per game, while Jahmyr Gibbs had a splendid campaign out of the backfield, rushing for 1,412 yards, good for fifth in the league.

Detroit have ranked in the top three for offensive and passing yards per game in each of the past two seasons, but lost offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears with John Morton taking his place.

Ragnow’s potential replacements

Whoever takes over from Ragnow at center will have some massive shoes to fill. It remains to be seen who will take that spot full-time, though there are a few options on the table.

In this year’s draft, the top team in the NFC during the regular season selected guard Tate Ratledge and Miles Frazier. Michael Niese is their only official center on the roster, having been primarily on the practice squad since 2023.

Left guard Graham Glasgow has come in to replace Ragnow when injured in past seasons, while Ratledge has also taken some reps at that spot in training camp.

In 2024, Lions starting quarterback Jared Goff was sacked 31 times, one more than he had in his previous campaign.