In 2025, the Detroit Lions couldn't find a viable offensive line for the life of them.
In 2026, they're suddenly spoiled for choice along their line, and specifically at center.
Cade Mays, the Lions' top free agency signing, is set to return to the teams' lineup ahead of a critical Week 7 battle against the Green Bay Packers at home. His absence, while notable, hasn't been too impactful on the Lions' offensive line. That's because his replacement, Juice Scruggs, has been the best center in the league while he rested up for his debut.
His return now creates a bit of a question mark for the Lions' rotation here - center is such an important position, heavily reliant on the rhythm of the offense and its quarterback. The team is going to work Mays back into the rotation in Week 7, but is a rotation of him and Scruggs throughout a key NFC North game a good idea? There are pros and cons.
Pros and cons to Lions' plan for rotation at center
Let's begin with three pros of this plan, as hinted at by head coach Dan Campbell during his Monday press conference.
Pro 1: The Lions will have Scruggs available to fall back on if Mays is struggling
The obvious pro to this rotation is that the Lions will still have Scruggs available to play a majority of the snaps in this game. He's done a dynamite job at the position so far, allowing just one sack, two quarterback hits, and nine total pressures on the year. For someone who hadn't really had a solid job along the line headed into camp, he's become one of the team's most important members of the top unit.
So, even if Mays is slow to start, or suffers any snap snafus, Scruggs will be available and ready to step in as their starting center for the remainder of the contest - and, if he continues to struggle in Week 8.
Pro 2: Detroit has a chance to showcase Scruggs as a potential trade piece
Now, let me just start this off by saying I don't think the team should trade Scruggs. One part of why they've been able to piece together such an elite offensive line this season is due to the versatility and depth they roster. Without such depth, they're one injury away from being back in the doldrums in offensive line rankings.
That said, if the Lions had to throw someone into a package for an aggressive deadline move, Scruggs is a name to watch. They've boosted his stock mightily through coaching, and now, he'd make for a solid centerpiece in a move for some reinforcements on defense. Allowing him to continue to play alongside Mays will further boost his value.
Again, though, they really shouldn't part ways with Scruggs. He's such a versatile piece for both their center and guard room moving forward.
Now, some of the cons.
Con 1: Breaking the current rhythm between Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Scruggs is a dangerous game to play
The Packers are currently posting a 43 percent success rate rushing the passer, 29th in the league. Are they the most threatening defensive line to deploy this rotation against? Probably not - that'd be their Week 8 game against Brian Flores' defense in Minnesota.
But, it's still very risky to have a rotation at center when these are two players meant to have a tempo going with Goff when snapping the ball, and with Gibbs as run blockers. If either pieces of the Lions' successful offense struggle due to this rotation, it's going to look bad on the teams' staff for deciding to do this in-game.
Con 2: Lions' offense could suffer in a critical divisional game
Peeling off of the first con here, a rotation that doesn't prove to help Mays acclimate back to NFL speed, but rather causes the line to lack the level of pass protection they've managed to generate this season so far, could also harm their offense in a huge divisional game.
Green Bay, again, isn't this force up front defensively. They're still without Micah Parsons, and have lost multiple key defenders already this year in Edgerrin Cooper and Javon Hargrave. But, any wackiness with their offense, leading to an even slower start for the unit in this game, could be their downfall.
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It'd be another situation where the onus is falling on their defensive line and secondary to try and pick up their slack, and as well all know from watching this team, that's a burden unlikely to be carried by the secondary.
They cannot drop the "easier" of the two games over this NFC North-heavy stretch. But, a failed rotation and a lack of rhythm generated between Goff and Mays could make that the reality of the situation.
Con 3: The Lions discover that Scruggs is the better option at center
This one feels like a reach, but there is a world where Scruggs is simply the better option at center this season than Mays. The real issue with this is that Mays would likely still get the nod over Scruggs if the difference isn't that stark. The question, though, is would the Lions be bold enough to pull the plug on Mays if the difference is obvious between the two snappers?
This is a con, overall, as it'd mean the Lions' big ticket signing from this offseason is benched. Furthermore, Mays isn't as versatile along the line as Scruggs. This eliminates the possibility of having him as a swing lineman for the rest of the season. If you have Scruggs on the bench, he immediately becomes your best swing lineman.
It's a hypothetical conundrum you have to hope doesn't become a reality for Detroit amid such an excellent year from their line.
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