Lions address a major flaw from last season with their three OL acquisitions

The Detroit Lions have been active in their efforts to remodel the offensive line. Headlined by the signing of center Cade Mays, the Lions also signed tackle Larry Borom and acquired guard Juice Scruggs in the David Montgomery trade.

With Mays, the Lions are getting one of the best centers on the free agent market, with a Pro Football Focus grade of 69.4 in pass-blocking and 58.4 in run-blocking. Borom brings a 67.1 pass-blocking grade and a 54.4 run-blocking grade. Lastly, Scruggs has a 57.7 pass-blocking grade and a 40.5 run-blocking grade.

Notice a pattern?

All three OL acquisitions graded out as better pass blockers than run blockers. That may initially seem a bit odd, as the Lions have prided themselves during the Dan Campbell era on having a tough-nosed run game. The Isiah Pacheco signing reinforces that. Are the Lions moving away from the run game and going to rely on the arm of quarterback Jared Goff? Not necessarily.

Let's compare those above grades to what the Lions have right now. RT Penei Sewell is dominant in the run game, with an absurd 96.8 run-blocking grade. That's compared to a still-great 80.3 pass-blocking grade. G Tate Ratledge's 73.5 run blocking grade is much higher than his 58.5 pass blocking grade. It's the same story with G Christian Mahogany and his 68 run-blocking grade and his 40.7 pass-blocking grade.

Of course, PFF isn't the be-all, end-all in evaluation, especially with offensive linemen. But the Lions' OL acquisitions so far appear to be very pointed. They have good run-blocking guys on the depth chart already. They desperately needed an upgrade in pass-blocking.

Why the Lions needed to improve their pass-blocking

The OL last season was a disaster, no way to sugarcoat it. Goff was sacked a career-high 38 times. The Lions went 3-5 in games when he was sacked three or more times, as opposed to 6-3 when he was sacked two or fewer times.

For a QB who has a reputation for playing poorly when pressured, that isn't a recipe for success. Overall, Goff had a fantastic season despite the OL play, but those "Jared Goof" games reared their ugly head numerous times in the second half of the season, such as both losses against the Minnesota Vikings, where the Vikings sacked Goff five times in each game.

Not to mention the Philadelphia Eagles game, where Goff was only able to complete 37.8% of his passes due to numerous pass deflections at the line of scrimmage.

Goff isn't getting any younger, and it's becoming more and more important to keep him on his feet. Do that, and the Lions may finally get an MVP season out of him. He finished fifth in 2024 and posted similar numbers in 2025, even with a worse OL and a new offensive coordinator. But more importantly, keeping Goff upright is one of the keys to a deep playoff run, along with an improved defense.

READ MORE: Lions avoid widely expected moves with their first wave of free agency signings

These moves should help. Mays hasn't allowed a sack since 2023. Meanwhile, Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit pointed out on X that Borom was the fifth-highest-graded pass-blocker on PFF (82.1) from Week 5 to Week 18 last season, with a minimum of 200 snaps, allowing only five pressures and zero sacks during that stretch.

This trend doesn't mean the Lions won't bring in someone who is a better run-blocker in free agency or the draft. They did just host free agent G Ben Bartch on Monday, who graded as a slightly better run-blocker. There's plenty of offseason left to fill out this roster.

Yet so far, their OL moves suggest that the team saw pass blocking as a major issue that urgently needed to be addressed. By bringing in three guys that fit that need, it wouldn't be a stretch to say improving pass-blocking was likely the team's number one priority. For the sake of Goff and the rest of the team, let's hope it pays off.