The Detroit Lions have many holes to patch this offseason, and will have to decide where they want to best allocate their resources to do so.
Investing in the offensive line has been seen as a big way the Lions could jump-start their fortunes for 2026. Investing at either center or tackle are the two spots Detroit will have to choose from when they decide their course of action.
At guard, the Lions have Tate Ratledge, who is coming off an elite rookie season. Ratledge was impressive in 2025, starting 17 games for Detroit last season. That was an impressive total, considering Ratledge rarely showed his age outside of a poor performance in Week 1.
With this in mind, Ratledge is already being cited as one of the biggest break out performers ahead of next season. Pro Football Focus recently named early players who could break out next year, and Ratledge was Dalton Wasserman's pick given how impressive he was up front as a rookie.
"Ratledge did a fine job as Detroit’s starting right guard in his rookie season while leading the team with 1,088 offensive snaps played. His 70.3 PFF overall grade and 73.5 PFF run-blocking grade both ranked second among qualified rookie guards. Another year of improvement in pass protection, where he excelled while at Georgia, could turn Ratledge into a well-above-average starter in the near future."
A solid starter at guard would be what the Lions could use the most, and pairing Ratledge with Christian Mahogany and an elite center could be the smartest move for what the Lions want to accomplish. It could keep his development on a smooth, upward trajectory next season.
Ratledge might be best suited to stay at guard for Lions in 2026
The fact that Ratledge is being viewed as a breakout candidate next season at guard could mean the Lions shouldn't want to move him over to center. Though he has experience at the position, he could feel more natural at guard, which means he has positional comfort.
Leading into this offseason, Brad Holmes wouldn't tip his hand as to what the Lions were planning at center, but did admit that Ratledge's experience there could help him be an eventual factor if the team decides to go in that direction.
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"There's some infancy stages. things we've already started to look at we'll just keep to ourselves, but obviously Tate (Ratledge) is an option for sure. He's done it before. He did in OTA's. Didn't think that he was a fish out of water. All the reps that he's logged this year, all the rookie snaps. He may have played the most snaps out of any rookie offensive lineman this year. So whether he continues at guard or center, we know that he's an option."
In spite of Ratledge being an option to fill the hole at center, the Lions might want to keep that possibility under wraps, or save it for an emergency situation where there is an injury where they need someone to step up mid-season or in the playoffs.
The Lions would be smarter to spend big at the position, perhaps looking at Tyler Linderbaum first and foremost. Their biggest problems last season stemmed from the middle of the line out, and fortifying center would help the offense in the biggest possible way.