Let the left guard competition officially commence!
After a slew of new additions to the offensive line this offseason, four of the five starter spots feel concrete. The only question mark remaining is the LG position, currently held by Christian Mahogany.
During his Tuesday presser on the first day of minicamp, head coach Dan Campbell was asked about his expectations for Mahogany and whether he sees the LG position as "open."
"It’s open. Look, Mahogany is very much in that. He played a couple games for us in '24, and then he started for us until he had the injury, came back, started again. So we know he’s got ability, he’s got potential. But there’s a reason why we brought in (Ben) Bartch, there's a reason why (Miles) Frazier's here, there's a reason why all those guys are in there. We might try (Giovanni) Manu a little bit.
I mean, we’re going to let this thing go and see what happens. It'll be good. It'll be good for all of them. When you have someone nipping at your heels constantly, or you're having to compete and push, and you all are competing for the same thing, it’s good for everybody."
Of the names Campbell name dropped, Ben Bartch was the only one brought in during free agency, after a two and a half year stint with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played 14 games and started four of them. Bartch is still nursing an injury, but is expected to be back for training camp. Beyond Bartch, Miles Frazier was a fifth-round draft pick in 2025, who missed most of his rookie season with a knee injury, while Giovanni Manu was a fourth-round pick in 2024.
Manu is the most intriguing name among them, since he wasn't even a guard last season. Early in the 2025 season, Manu served as the back up left tackle for Taylor Decker, and got the start in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. After a poor performance and a knee injury, Manu would not see the field for the rest of the season.
With the two tackle spots seemingly locked up, and veteran Larry Borom serving as the backup, Manu appears to be the odd-man out for now. Last week, Campbell said that the team was going to "experiment a little bit" with Manu at guard, while still giving him reps at tackle.
Mahogany is "in the running" for LG spot
As of right now, it seems like the LG spot is Mahogany's to lose, given he started 11 games last season. Those 11 games offered mixed results, with a decent 67.2 run-blocking grade on Pro Football Focus despite the statistical drop off running back Jahmyr Gibbs' had when Mahogany played ten or more snaps. That run-blocking grade is contrasted by an abysmal 40.7 pass-blocking grade.
It's unclear how much of that was on him or being sandwiched in between center Graham Glasgow and the banged up LT Taylor Decker. That's what Campbell will have to figure out. Campbell said that Mahogany was "in the running" for the starting job, adding, "We expect him to compete. We expect him to put his best foot forward, and play some of his best football."
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As minicamp and eventually training camp begin to unfold, the LG competition is one of many storylines worth following. The Lions pumped a lot of offseason resources into reshaping the OL, and its success may very well be determined by who comes out on top at the LG position.
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