In a broad sense, center Frank Ragnow's sudden retirement back in June couldn't have taken the Detroit Lions by that much surprise. General manager Brad Holmes has placed priority on keep the talent pipeline along the offensive line full, with draft action to back it up.
The Lions' plan with two their two drafted rookie offensive lineman as offseason work got going back in May could be seen as foreshadowing they knew Ragnow retiring was a possibility.
"Hank (offensive line coach Hank Fraley), he'll cross-train all those guys," Holmes said . "So, if they've only been at guard, he's going to put a ball between their legs and see if they can snap. But again, Hank's not going to put somebody in a tough position either, so he's going to be able to assess if they have the right makeup and mentality and communicative skills. That's a big part of just — it's not about just being able to snap, I mean, you have to have elite communication skills, not just as a starter, but even as a backup."
"Those guys" as Holmes referred to them, were rookies Tate Ratledge and Miles Frazier. Ratledge had only taken practice snaps at center in college at Georgia, while Frazier's overall versatility at LSU opened up (and still opens up) options for where he could ultimately stick.
Utlimately, Ratledge settled in as the starter at right guard and he is on track to start all 17 games there during his rookie season. Entering the regular season finale, his overall Pro Football Focus grade is 22nd out of 80 qualifying guards and he has the 12th-best run blocking grade at the position.
Where Ratledge has struggled is in pass blocking, with a 56.3 PFF grade and 24 pressures allowed. But overall, he has had a solid rookie season with plenty of room to improve. In a big picture sense, he looks like a long-term fixture as the Lions look to bring their offensive line back to its previous level next season.
Dan Campbell isn't ready to rule out anyone as a potential Frank Ragnow successor
A key part of the Lions' offseason plan to fix/ figure out the offensive line is finding a solution in the middle. Finding someone who'll be as good as Ragnow was isn't realistic, but running it back with Graham Glasgow next season (if he's even back on the roster) is not an option.
During his press conference on Monday, Campbell talked about Ratledge's growth over the course of this season.
Campbell was then asked what he thought Ratledge's ultimate position is.
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"That's a good question", Campbell said. "We felt like he could be a center and that's still not off the table," Campbell said. "We watched him at guard, he played right guard in college. He's a good athlete, he's a big man, he can move. So, we'll find out."
For whatever it's worth, in different circumstances of course, Ragnow also started his career at guard before becoming one of the best centers in the league. And in general league-wide, that type of transition isn't unprecedented. Playing center is as much mentally demanding as it is physically demanding. Ratledge's most significant work at the position came in OTAs and early in training camp, before the decision to go with Glasgow.
When the idea of giving Ratledge a trial run at center during Week 18 against the Chicago Bears was brought up, Campbell said "I don't see that". But otherwise, as should be the case, Ratledge is not at all being ruled out as an option to replace Ragnow long-term.